Friday 27 May 2016

BRATAKUS - 'Gigantopithecus' CD review



BRATAKUS - 'Gigantopithecus' CD review


So yeah, BRATAKUS have finally dropped their debut EP / three-track demo, and, as expected, it's awesome. For those that missed our interview with them in the last issue, they're a two-piece of sisters from up in Scotland who play riot-grrrl punk with influences like BIKINI KILL and THE DISTILLERS, with even a bit of an old-school MINOR THREAT vibe in the vocals and lo-fi production. The lyrics are actually really cool for such a young band; they're pretty angsty, with vegan and feminist subject matter, and it's so fast vocally, I have no idea how Breagha fits some of these lines in! The vocal harmonies work well, the bass and guitar riffs and progressions are really catchy, the drum machine programming sounds cool, and the whole EP is fast (the first song lasts about 70 seconds), energetic, and a really fun listen. There are some SIMPSONS quotes (I think) between songs which made me chuckle, and the very DIY packaging / artwork is class, especially the collaging of random newspaper and magazine headlines. An awesome little release from a band that are doing punk-rock how it should be done, and that hints at ace things to come. Go and check out 'I Know Nothing' on Youtube for something to go on. Nice one!


xox

Thursday 26 May 2016

NACHTHEXEN - 'The Other' cassette review



NACHTHEXEN - 'The Other' cassette review


This is awesome stuff. Punk rock without any guitar; just solid, riffy bass, tight, almost mechanical drumming, shouted female vocals, and a keyboard that sound somewhere between KRAFTWERK and low-budget 70s / 80s horror film soundtracks (think CREEPOZOIDS or anything directed by LUCIO FULCI i.e 'Zombie' or 'House by the Cemetery'). It's rare to find stuff these days that sounds genuinely different, but this really is; the synth sound is somewhat creepy and isn't something that I've heard much in this style, and the way it marries with the highly strung, desperate but angry vocals is something you need to hear to appreciate. Every song on this four track is really catchy, both vocally (with great lyrics) and musically, and has some great vocal hooks that, owing to being based around repetition, will inseminate your mind like few things can. This is especially so in the final two tracks 'Girls' and 'Cheer Up Luv', and the respective, unforgettable lines "it's not a competition; we're not the opposition" and "cheer up luv, it might never happen". Brilliant stuff with a unique quality, the greatness of which is tough to describe.


xox

Monday 23 May 2016

IDESTROY interview


 IDESTROY interview

We interviewed indie-rock / Riot-Grrrl punks IDestroy for issue nine of 'The Screever'; here's what they had to say to a few questions we threw at them towards the end of their 'Vanity Loves Me' EP tour.

Heya guys, please introduce yourself/ves, tell us what you play, and who makes up the rest of IDestroy.

IDestroy are Bec (guitar/vocals), Becky (bass/Bvox) and Jenn (Drums).



So you're currently on a UK tour; how has it been? Have there been any stand out shows?

Tour has been a lot of fun. One of our favourite shows was our recent return to London, playing at The Gunners pub. The quality of the venue really surprised us (knowing that its main focus is on football), the sound was great and there were a large number of people there to see us - we recognised a good number of the people there from our last London show, so we were very pleased that we have started gaining a following in another city!



How long have you been a band for now? How did you three meet?

We all met whilst studying in Bristol and became good friends before forming the band. We’ve been together around a year and a half now.
Your music seems to have a number of influences, including rock, punk, blues, and indie; who would you say are your biggest influences?

This is always a tough question as we enjoy so many different types of music. The band has definitely been influenced by riot grrrl bands such as Bikini Kill and Sleater Kinney. We hope you will also hear the older punk influences such as Iggy Pop and The Runaways. 


So you released your first EP called 'Vanity Loves Me' this year; how has it been received? Are you all pleased with what you created?

We’ve had some really great reviews from the likes of Classic Rock, Punktastic and Fred Perry Subculture as well as being enjoyed by the independent bloggers on the DIY circuit. We are so happy that it has had this wide appeal to all rock n rollers, and we hope its reach will keep growing. We are proud of this release, but we are certain that the next one will only get better!



Did you enjoy making the video for the title-track from that CD? Where was it filmed?

It was good fun, although a long day and very hard work. Being a short song, you get to hear it a lot of times when filming for it over a 10 hour day! The silliness at the end of the video was a new experience for all of us. As perhaps you can tell, we’re not all that interested in make up and other ‘girly’ things, so it was cool to experiment and see what came out! We filmed it at Farm Studios in Bristol with Nick Pitt.




Can you give us a brief run-down of what the songs on the EP are about lyrically?

I try to avoid the “what is this song about” question, mainly because I’d rather the listener think for themselves. When I hear great lyrics, take Kurt Cobain for example, I personally don’t want to know what he was singing about. Why would I? When I can pretend he’s singing about everything I feel right in that moment.
Having said that, this EP is very much based on my observations of modern day life. I’d like to think it’s a pretty relatable listen.



What else do you guys do outside of IDestroy? Are any of you in any other bands or anything?

Bec plays guitar and song writes for art rockers ‘The Blue Aeroplanes’ and Becky plays bass in metal band Triaxis.

Ph: Jake Matthews


So what do you have planned for the rest of this year? Any more touring or recording in the pipeline?

We have a few more ‘Vanity Loves Me’ tour dates left (Southampton, Minehead, Stalybridge and Birmingham). After these shows we will spending some time songwriting and preparing to record the next release. We have a couple of festival appearances and other gigs this summer, but now the ‘Vanity Loves Me’ tour is over, our main focus is on the new material.



Cheers for answering these! Any last words, links, shout-outs, or anything?

No problem! 

You can stream our EP “Vanity Loves Me” for free here: https://soundcloud.com/idestroy/sets/idestroy-vanity-loves-me-ep

Or buy hardcopies on our merchandise store:


Sunday 22 May 2016

New Daria / Jane Lane totes...



New Daria / Jane Lane totes...


So yeah, ecstatic to say that we'll have these totes with us to sell at Northwest Zinefest next month. Lee's been a massive Daria fan for yonks, and this quote of Jane's is pretty appropriate for what we're about here at 'The Screever'. They were screenprinted by the lovely Lou at 13 O'Clock (go and give her Facebook page a like!) and any that we have left over will go up online afterwards. Ace!
xox

Saturday 21 May 2016

FOLGORE - 'Per Sempre Tempesta' cassette review



FOLGORE - 'Per Sempre Tempesta' cassette review


As soon as the first track from this six song tape from Italy's (I think) FOLGORE dropped in, I thought of LOMA PRIETA. So yeah, they play pretty awesome melodic screamo / post-hardcore that is aggressively and distortedly vocalled throughout (save for some ENVY-esque spoken word), and crashes through abrasive fuzzy riffs and the odd bit of finger tapping, backed by chaotic drumming, and interspersed with pretty, picked, melodic sections. I especially dig the second track 'Likho', but this has a consistently similar song throughout (save for the more brooding, largely slower penultimate track 'Mediocrita'), so if you like stuff like LOMA, RAIEN, or LA QUIETE, then this should be worth a listen.


xox

Thursday 19 May 2016

CADY - 'Zodiacal Dust' cassette review


CADY - 'Zodiacal Dust' cassette review


CADY (named after Lindsay Lohan's character in 'Mean Girls' of course) features former members of FOR THIS WORLD IS HOLLOW..., and follows on from the intensity of that band, playing awesome blast-beat infused proper-screamo with some really heavy bass, abrasive chordwork in the guitars, accompanied by some ace underlying melody and delay-effect leads, and some seriously chaotic drumming that's as tight as anything. There are parts that make me think of KAOSPILOT, others of TRISTAN TSARA, and others of SAETIA, so hopefully that gives you something to go on. The packaging on this is ace too, with hand constructed, monochromatic cardboard sleeves, and with a little, albeit tough to read, lyric sheet inside. Physical copies may have sold out by now, but go and check this out on their Bandcamp if you like your proper screamo, and listen to opener 'Goodnight Clark Adams' for something to go on. Great stuff.


xox

Tuesday 17 May 2016

LOVE CANS - s/t 7" review

LOVE CANS - s/t 7" review


This 7" contains two tracks of what I can best describe as psychedelic surf-rock that is a bit 70s and reminds me a bit of bands like FRET and YOUVES and maybe THE MURDER OF ROSA LUXEMBURG in places. Both songs have a really funky, catchy lead riff, on bass in 'Scary Eyes', and on guitar in 'Graveyard', helped along by some tight and pounding drums that marry rhythmically with said riffs. There are also some cool, heavily reverbed yet reserved (and suitably spooky with regards 'Graveyard') vocals on both tracks that compliment the music by way of adding extra texture to the rather awesome musicianship rather than being a focal point, which I really liked about it. A great little two-track record if you like garage-y surf rock with a psych vibe.


xox

Sunday 15 May 2016

RASH DECISION - 'Headstrung' 12" review



RASH DECISION - 'Headstrung' 12" review


Bloody hell yes, this is pretty much exactly the kind of thing that I hope will drop into my inbox to review. Fast, no messin' about, thrashy hardcore with immense drumming that flicks between blasts, double time, and lightspeed fills, that complement the awesome, tight guitar and bass riffs perfectly, and multiple vocalists, all with very different but equally pissed-off sounding tones. Every song on here is brilliantly structured (that's what 9 years of experience will do for you), from the 66 seconds of 'Dogsbody' (one of my personal favourites, and featuring one of the best thrash-inspired riffs on here) to the slower but no less furious 'Cunt of the Litter', and the rather odd, somewhat amusing, yet still awesome 'Blinded by Leaves'. If you like your hardcore how it should be played i.e. fast, heavy, and abrasive, well-produced and with no nonsense, and that reminds you of stuff that used to come out on DEAD AND GONE RECORDS (FIFTY ON RED, BREAK IT UP, etc.), then this will please you a lot. This 12" also comes with their last album 'Seaside Resort to Violence' on the other side. Ace.


xox

Tuesday 3 May 2016

'The Screever' zine issue 9


'The Screever' zine issue 9


Ta-da! Issue nine of 'The Screever' is done! 56 A6 black and white pages of awesome-ness, featuring interviews with Bristol indie-rock / RiotGrrrl punks IDestroy, comic writer Dan Barnes of Dead Bride Comics, Jamie Brewer of skate collective GNARGORE, fantasy zine illustrator BODIE H., and Stourbridge hardcore kids Unhinged. Plus a bunch of reviews, a couple of recipes, puzzles, stencils, and a guide to making a pinhole camera; what more could you want for a quid?!
And if you didn't pick up the tape and patch deal last time, you can still order that and just let us know that you'd like issue 9 instead of 8.
And don't forget to follow us on Instagram @thescreeverzine
Thanks a tonne you lovely lot! 
grin emotico
xox