Best of 2018 #6

Final lot of my top album releases of the year, but there's still another post to come tomorrow.


Cabbage - 'Nihilistic Glamour Shots'




Half Man Half Biscuit - 'No One Cares About Your Creative Hub So Get Your Fuckin' Hedge Cut'




Slaves - 'Acts Of Fear And Love'

Memories of 2018 gigs #10

Slaves
Support: Lady Bird, Willie J. Healey
Tramshed, Cardiff - 22 November 2018

*AN OPEN LETTER TO SLAVES*

Dear Isaac and Laurie

I just want to start by being positive. I and MrsRobster have been Slaves fans for a few years now. MrsRobster in particular picked up on you quite early, your debut mini-album 'Sugar Coated Bitter Truth' being the soundtrack to her daily commute for a while. We first saw you almost exactly 3 years ago when you came to Cardiff, whereupon she made the comment that you "seem like nice lads you'd go for a drink with."

We've continued to enjoy your music ever since, even the second album ('Take Control') that a lot of people didn't like very much, and the new one that is a bit short. When we saw you were coming back to Cardiff we didn't think twice, even though it would mean three gigs in a week, which at our age (well, MY age) is quite hard work. A good night was a dead cert. Or so we thought.

The thing is, something's changed. It turned out not to be a good night at all. In fact, for us, it was possibly the least fun we've ever had at any gig we've attended together. It was the most intimidating show we've ever attended with the rudest, most obnoxious and aggressive audience we've ever had the misfortune to be a part of. Now, I'm no wimp. I've been to going to gigs for 30 years and taken in more shows than I could ever hope to remember. I'm guessing in the region of 200-250 over the years? Maybe more. I've been a part of some hefty crowds and some seriously rough mosh pits. Even during the lad and ladette culture of the Britpop years, where pissed-up wankers became part and parcel of the gig experience, I've never felt like walking out due to the menacing nature of an audience. Yet at your show in Cardiff last Thursday night, I so nearly gave up halfway through.

It was rather ominous from the beginning. We arrived shortly after your opening act, Willie J. Healey, had come on, and we immediately felt that this show was different. It didn't feel, well, kind of, normal. It's hard to explain, you know? But there just seemed to be a weird vibe there. It might have been the extremely loud chatter that pervaded the air throughout the entire night, the sort of incessant noise you get from people who have little to no interest in anything that was going on. Yes, you always get chatter during the support bands, but this was different; louder, like you get in a busy pub on a Saturday night. Like people were out for a piss up with their lairy mates. That kind of noise. It continued throughout Lady Bird's set to the point where I really couldn't make out what the guy was singing about. I couldn't hear a single word. My hearing? OK, not like it used to be, but I don't generally have any problems. So I'd like to say something positive about the support acts you're so keen for fans to hear as per your recent so-called "Twitter storm", but alas it would be unfair for me to comment until I actually can hear them for real.

Things took another strange turn in the changeover before you came on. It was during this time we were treated to your sound crew's awesome record collection. S Club 7, the Spice Girls, Whigfield, Robbie Williams - you name it, we endured it. It's Raining Men, Freed From Desire - blimey, it sounded like a drunken hen night and stag do in Ibiza all in one. And it felt like it too, as the effects of the beer and coke (not the type you could buy at the bar) began to take effect. The shirts came off, the fists pumped the air and the plastic glasses started flying - and you hadn't even come onstage yet. MrsRobster and I looked at each other, both wondering if we'd got the date wrong. "This is fucking weird," she said. Sorry, shouted!

Actually, didn't you play in Ibiza this year? Someone told me you did. I think you found a new audience out there and they all turned up to the Tramshed. Interestingly, your choice of intro music - Vengabus by Vengaboys - was the exact same song Shame came onstage to last week in Bristol. Now, there was an excellent, respectful and not intimidating in the slightest crowd. There were more of them, too. And Idles the month before. Like your audiences used to be. No lairish behaviour, no fighting. In fact, in three decades of gig-going I've only ever seen two fights at shows, and one of them was between band members on stage. As you noted yourselves, in the past two years you've had no fights at your gigs. Yet on this single occasion there were two. What you didn't notice (that we did) were the near-misses, the incidents that nearly escalated into violence. But for some good peacekeepers around them, there might well have been even more kicking off.

We stuck it out to the end, but only just. We didn't enjoy your set as we should have. You sounded good, played well and put a good mix of songs in the set. But there was too much shit going on around us and I felt myself getting more and more frustrated and more and more angry. The place was toxic, filled with belligerant, obnoxious wankers intent on throwing their weight around and fuck everybody else, and that gets to me. Sorry, but it does. If I want to be around people like that, I'd go watch Cardiff City, not go to a gig. MrsRobster kept me calm because she's a better person than me. A better person than pretty much everyone at the Tramshed by far, in fact. And you - well, you deserve better than these so-called "fans".

I'm sorry to say this, but while we'll continue to listen to your music, we probably won't be back to see you live. Not for a while, at least. I know it's not your fault, you can't really choose your fans, but if your gigs are going to be infested with morons like we suffered at the Tramshed, then I think we may have to think twice, or even three times, the next time you come around our way. A real shame, because we'd probably still go for that drink with you.

Love, respect and best wishes for the future,
TheRobster.

2015 >> 2016

Here we go again then - another year in our musical paradise. But before I launch myself into full 2016 mode, here's a quick look back at what tickled my fancy in 2015.

Five albums

A lot of people - including many of my esteemed blogging compadres - have featured the likes of Wolf Alice and Courtney Barnett in their year-end lists, while some of my other big faves of the year (The Charlatans, Foals, Public Service Broadcasting, Laura Marling, Gaz Coombes and Django Django) are well-known enough for you to either already have them or at least be familiar with them. So here's five albums I rate really highly that you may have missed:

CLOWwNS - 'The Artful Execution Of Macho Bimbo'
Think Franz Ferdinand with more bite, more wit and more ideas. A quite frankly brilliant debut. Really need to see them live now.

• Bow-Legged Man - CLOWwNS

Evans The Death - 'Expect Delays'
Loads of youthful energy and fun wrapped up in a loud fuzzy swathe of guitars and occasional shouting. The singer has a really good voice, too.

• Sledgehammer - Evans The Death

Myrkur - 'M'
Recommended to me by my mate Dave. Norwegian indie-pop star Amalie Bruun's black metal project heavily infused with Nordic folk music. Brutal yet beautiful at the same time.

• Hævnen - Myrkur

Du Blonde - 'Welcome Back To Milk'
As recently mentioned in my Beth Jeans Houghton post. A radical reinvention by Ms Houghton but a most enjoyable one it has to be said, despite the awful sleeve art.

• Young Entertainment - Du Blonde

Cattle - 'Somehow Hear Songs'
My next It Came From Japan post will be a shoegaze special. It won't feature Cattle as this, their debut EP, has only just come out, but it's one of the strongest records I've heard all year.

• Fluff - Cattle

If you're wondering why there are no Welsh albums here, it's because January's Welsh Wednesdays will feature some of my fave releases of 2015 from the Land of Song.


Five gigs
As you know, MrsRobster and I have been out and about quite a bit this year, taking in some of the very finest live entertainment acts. Well, a few decent bands, anyway. Raising kids brought our gig-going habits to an almost complete standstill for a good number of years, but now the sprogsters are of a responsible age, we have been venturing out a fair bit more over the last few years. This year my aim was to reach double figures for the first time in, ooh, some 18 years or more. We did 13! Here's my Top 5.

The Charlatans (Cardiff, December)
I said: "The best band I’ve seen this year. Probably. After 25 at times challenging years, they’ve still got it, without a doubt." [full review here]

Slaves / Wonk Unit / Spring King (Cardiff, November)
I said: "If we're talking about the consistency in quality of the whole bill, then this was probably right up there with our best gigs of the decade so far."

Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Bristol, October)
I said: "Two hours of enormous, slow-building epics that not only filled the Colston Hall, but pretty likely the whole of the city." [full reviews of these shows here]

Wolf Alice (Cardiff, April)
I said: "They are good. Like, really bloody good. Good songs, good sound, good singer."
 
Super Furry Animals (Cardiff, May)
I said: "A mammoth 2¼ hour set which covered all bases - the hits, album tracks, obscurities, pop songs, psychedelic wig-outs, electronic wizardry, English, Welsh - you name it, it was in there."
 
Laura Marling (Bristol, May)
I said: " Laura's set was masterfully arranged and executed... She seems to have eschewed much of her earlier material as if to make a statement that she has been somehow reborn... The new songs made the set even more compelling." [full reviews of these shows here]

Yes, I'm fully aware that's six gigs, not five. But heck, I couldn't decide which one to drop so I broke my own rule. That's the kind of guy I am - still a rebel after all these years!

Some other things

• My Kitchens Of  Distinction post racking up a silly number of views after being posted on the band's Facebook page and tweeted by Patrick Fitzgerald himself.
• TheMadster getting to university, the first in my and MrsRobster's immediate families to do so. And she survived freshers! Just how proud are we?!
• Wales qualifying for the 2016 Euros, a massive achievement for such a tiny nation. Arguably even better than the injury-ravaged Welsh rugby team beating England in the World Cup back in the autumn.

Looking forward to:

• The new Bowie album... goes without saying, doesn't it?
• The new PJ Harvey album... ditto.
• The new Savages album... expecting a monster.
• The Lush comeback... yaay! Gigs, new songs, Miki. Yaay!
• Bob Mould and Snuff in Cardiff within two days of each other. My ears will be bleeding.

I expect to make fewer posts in 2016. It has been hard work preparing four posts a week and I'm not sure I can keep it interesting enough at that rate. Hopefully the quality will compensate for the lesser quantity. We'll see. For now though, here's one more of my favourite songs of 2015 for you. A completely new sound for Emmy The Great, but an extraordinary track and a spooky, rather upsetting video.

Memories of 2015 gigs 10 & 11

#10: Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Colston Hall, Bristol - 23rd October 2015
Support: Dead Rat Orchestra

So this was always going to be something a bit special. I wasn't disappointed. It was worth going out of my way to pick up our mate Colin in Cardiff, getting lost trying to get out of Bristol after the show and even the ridiculous people who went to the gig only to spend most of it running in and out of the auditorium to go to the bar/toilet every 20 minutes while I tried to immerse myself in the extraordinary sounds of GYBE.

Colin was immediately taken by the support act, a couple of blokes with bushy beards called Dead Rat Orchestra who describe themselves as "avant-folk". They were a bit like putting John Cage, Dead Can Dance and a wily old fisherman in a room together to see what happens. I wasn't convinced, but Col has bought their CD so I'm not going to argue.

Godspeed were an altogether different affair though. Two hours of enormous, slow-building epics that not only filled the Colston Hall, but pretty likely the whole of the city. They appeared onstage gradually. An opening drone kept us on tenterhooks before the cellist and violinist entered stage right. For the majority of the show though, all 8 members (and their massive supporting cast of effects pedals) combined to create a sonic thunder of post-rock tension and euphoria. Visuals flickered and pulsed on the screen behind them, but they were somewhat secondary and, other than during the final track, didn't really add a great deal to the overall performance. No vocals, of course, but who needs them? GYBE's music says more than mere words can.

Both longform tracks from the band's latest album 'Asunder, Sweet And Other Success' were aired, but like everything they play live, were altered or rearranged for the concert setting. Highlights included Gathering Storm (a segment of Storm from the band's seminal record 'Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven!') and the quite frankly incredible closer The Sad Mafioso (a segment of East Hastings from debut album 'F#A#∞').

MrsRobster said there were times she drifted off and forgot where she was before being drawn back in by the music again. This is probably the intended effect of the band's music. It does transport you sometimes, although sadly too often for the younger 'hip' members of the audience and their ever-shortening attention spans, it was to the bar. For those of us who do not seek instant gratification, who can sit for two hours without once checking our phones, who can remain riveted to a 20-minute instrumental piece, a Godspeed You! Black Emperor show can be a highlight of our year.


Soundtrack:

• The Sad Mafioso - Godspeed You! Black Emperor (from 'F#A#∞')

#11: Slaves
The Great Hall, Cardiff Uni - 15th November 2015
Support: Wonk Unit, Spring King

I'm not a big fan of the Great Hall, if I'm being honest. It just sounds so hollow in there. And it's full of students. Bah! I don't care if it is in the Student Union building, they're still all annoying little brats, aren't they? At least I had MrsRobster with me for some grown-up company. Mind, I use the term 'grown-up' rather loosely in her case...

Anyway, despite the distorted loudness and obnoxious bearded folk, this turned out to be well worth the entry fee, well worth venturing out on a diabolical stormy Sunday evening for, and yes, even well worth spending three hours in a hot, sweaty venue surrounded by hot sweaty students. If we're talking about the consistency in quality of the whole bill, then this was probably right up there with our best gigs of the decade so far.

Opening were Spring King whose claim to fame is that they were the first band played by Zane Lowe on Beats 1 radio's opening night. No, me neither. But they do have the potential to make a name for themselves. Some excellent songs, including the cracking new single Who Are You? and last year's Can I?, showed why. While they ran out of steam a little towards the end when it started to get a little samey, I did enjoy most of what I heard. And I say it again - that new single is cracking!

Wonk Unit on the other hand were just staggeringly brilliant from start to finish. They've been a part of the London punk scene for a few years. They feature ex-members of the Flying Medallions and are fronted by poet Alex Johnson. Sound-wise, I'd say Snuff would be a pretty accurate reference point, blending hardcore punk with a touch of ska and a shit-load of humour. Their amazing set included songs about horses, a haunted house, the singer's nan and Lewisham, though Rambo was the majestic highlight. One of the best support bands I've seen in many a year.

It's worth noting that when Slaves started out, it was Wonk Unit who gave them a leg up, getting them gigs and support. Now that the Tunbridge Wells duo have gone stratospheric, they felt it only right to pay their old mates back by taking them on tour. Nice, humble lads yeah? MrsRobster certainly thinks so. Slaves are one of her fave bands and she was taken by how normal and down to earth they seem under the screamy, shouty punk noise they emit. And how they emit it. Two blokes on a stage with just a guitar and a drum kit, yet they conquered.

While their set contained pretty much all their 'Are You Satisfied' album (including my fave, Ninety-Nine, about people who never look up from their fucking mobile phones!), there was room for a couple of new songs, the b-side OK and the fan favourite Where's Your Car, Debbie? Sadly, there was nothing from the debut 'Sugar Coated Bitter Truth' mini-LP, but what we did get was a blast - and I mean BLAST - of fiery punk with a grin on its face a tongue in its cheek. There was a proper mosh-pit, which is something that's becoming increasingly rare these days. They got an audience member on stage to recreate their now dead manta ray that 'swam' about the stage during Feed The Manta Ray. They did an acoustic number whilst perched on top of the speaker tower. Energy in abundance and a deafening noise. I did wonder if Slaves could carry it off in a venue the size of the Great Hall, but on this evidence they could probably shake Wembley Stadium to its foundations.


Soundtrack:

• Can I? - Spring King (from 'Demons' EP)
• Rambo - Wonk Unit (from 'Littlelord' EP, available for free from Bandcamp)
• Ninety-Nine - Slaves (from 'Are You Satisfied?') 

Just because...

Slaves are loud, shouty and great fun. The drummer plays standing up and sings shouts lead vocals. They made a video for their 15-second song Girl Fight. They are also a current fave of MrsRobster who has been listening to them lots during her trips to and from work. You may have heard recent singles Hey and Debbie, Where's Your Car? if you listen to BBC 6Music, and their new single The Hunter comes out next week.

Here's MrsRobster's recommendation - Bad Machine is a bonus track on the Bandcamp digital version of their debut mini-album 'Sugar Coated Bitter Truth' released a year ago.

Soundtrack:

• Bad Machine - Slaves (from 'Sugar Coated Bitter Truth [bonus track edition]')