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NEWS

EMPIRES INTO SAND

14 March 2024

Huge day today! Normil Hawaiians’ first new album in 40 years will be coming out on Upset The Rhythm on May 3rd. Titled ‘Empires into Sand’, the record is an incredible patchwork cloak of ideas drawing on ambient drone, motorik impulse, folk idiom and a certain cosmic uncanny.

A Windswept album recorded in a windswept Scottish coastal retreat, ‘Empires into Sand’ swims with short wave radio interference and overheard satellite transmissions. These are winding rivers of song, peopled with the displaced, determined, downhearted yet hopeful. Swirling atmospheres, field recordings, tape-looped drums, rapid synth flights and soaring vocals all abound in this echo from the now.

‘Empires into Sand’ will be released on gatefold LP, CD and digitally on May 3rd, it is available to pre-order now from our shop now.

Lead single ‘Exiles’ is released today, exploring the continuous movement of human beings, check out the video for more sublime signs from the firmament.

EARTH BALL START ROLLING

12 March 2024

Arise! It's time to take on Earth Ball! Earth Ball are a wild ride of an ensemble from Nanaimo (Canada); spontaneous, instinctual and eruptive inside out. When Earth Ball fire up the amps in their basement you can hear the voices of ghosts hum through the speakers.

Kellan's hued feedback, Izzy's sturdy basslines, Jer's paperbag guitar tone and rumble pack zaps, Liam's sheets of sound and Brennen's multidirectional drums are expansive, restlessly inventive and truly psychedelic.

Their debut LP ‘It’s Yours’ will be coming out on May 17th via Upset The Rhythm. Take a first listen to ‘A Need To Cool Down’ and reframe your brain.

‘It’s Yours’ is available to pre-order on clear 180g vinyl w/ a hand-painted insert from the band now.

Earth Ball are also touring the UK this May in support of this release with their friend-in-sound Chris Corsano, see you at a show!

May 20 - London - Cafe OTO

May 21 - London - Cafe OTO

May 22 - Manchester - Aatma

May 23 - Bristol - Cube Cinema

May 24 - Shrewsbury - English Bridge Workshop

May 25 - Glasgow - Flying Duck

May 26 - Newcastle - Lubber Fiend

May 28 - Nottingham - The Chapel

May 29 - Lewes - Con Club

WYRD PSEARCH OUT TODAY!

1 March 2024

March comes in like a lion carrying a copy of ‘Wyrd Psearch’ by The Pheromoans! Released today, lucky album 13 from the lo-fi peddlers has been hailed by Uncut magazine as a “sleek return of droll social commentary and DIY invention”, whilst The Quietus urged “the ghost of Mark E. Smith to crown them the kings of the sprechgesang gang.” Wow!

We’re celebrating the release of the album today by sharing this video for ‘Twibbon Wife’, a track musing on the legacy of The Stone Roses, Ellis-Bextor and armchair occultists.

‘Wyrd Psearch’ is available now in all the best shops and our own webstore here.

Cafe OTO will host an official album launch next Tuesday with The Pheromoans, Apostille and Dean Rodney Jr & The Cowboys all performing, lucky us. The band will also appear on deXter Bentley’s Hello GoodBye show on Resonance FM tomorrow from noon to chat more about the release, enjoy!

BEHOLD... PARSNIP!

13 February 2024

Green shoots have burst forth from Parsnip! The Australian group have a super-catchy single out today called ‘The Light’, taken from their sophisticated sophomore album ‘Behold’.

Drawing comparisons with Dolly Mixture, Sara Goes Pop and Look Blue Go Purple, Parsnip are an animated ensemble, full of life, emotional complexity and humour. On ‘Behold’ they explore both the inner and outer realms of consciousness with quick wits and some seriously quality jangle and jolt. Take a listen to ‘The Light’, a whip smart workout if there ever was one!

Upset The Rhythm will release ‘Behold’ on April 26th. There’s a limited transparent vinyl edition, available to pre-order (drum roll please)… now.

FAITH IN THE PHEROMOANS

6 February 2024

The Pheromoans roll up their trouser and consult with the master mason today as they rebound with a second single from their glorious upcoming ‘Wyrd Psearch’ album. ‘Faith in the Future’ “cautiously tugs at a thread of certain patterns, mishearings and misinterpreted gestures” according to vocalist Russell Walker.

The song is complemented here by the visual recordings of 11-year-old Hitchin resident Rowan Walker and his keen eye for transportation. ‘Wyrd Psearch’ will be released on March 1st by Upset The Rhythm and is available to pre-order now.

WYRD PSEARCH

9 January 2024

Puzzling times are upon us! Today we're unveiling The Pheromoans new album 'Wyrd Psearch', out on March 1st via Upset The Rhythm. This is lucky album number 13 for the deadpan DIY group and sees them on vigorously sceptical form. Lead single 'Downtown' is out now as a digital single, fans of Russell Walker and of panoramic Hitchin will find much to like in its accompanying video

'Wyrd Psearch' is available to pre-order now on 180g black vinyl. Remember to always check backwards on the diagonal!

UTR 20TH ANNIVERSARY

12 December 2023

Ho, ho, woah!

Tis the season for jolly merch!

Today we added to our webshop our Upset The Rhythm ‘20th anniversary’ t-shirts and risograph posters designed by the wondrous Meg Woof. Our new pin badges and stickers are up there too, joining this year’s UTR releases by Brontez Purnell, Screensaver, Me Lost Me, Vintage Crop, Water Machine, The Toads, Terry, Es and Historically F***ed. To celebrate we’re offering everyone here a festive 20% discount, just use the code UTR20 before January and get merry!

'CONFIRMED BACHELOR' RELEASED!

10 November 2023

Time to party!

Today we’re releasing a new album from supreme multi-talent Brontez Purnell! ‘Confirmed Bachelor’ is out now on crystal-clear vinyl and digitally everywhere, go check it out! These twelve songs are of the no-time-wasted variety. Fuzzed-out pop songs, hotly delivered from the heart, often sassy, sometimes sappy, always snappy! We’re talking about jagged riffs galore, bubblegum bounce and Brontez’s vocal racing to bopsome effect.

So much to celebrate! ‘Confirmed Bachelor’ is available to order now.

News archive

LATEST RELEASES MIXTAPE

LINKS

UPCOMING SHOWS

MARY LATTIMORE

LUCE MAWDSLEY

Tuesday 26 March

Scala

275 Pentonville Rd, London, N1 9NL | Map
7.30pm | £15 | Buy tickets

MARY LATTIMORE is a harpist and composer living in Los Angeles. She experiments with her Lyon and Healy Concert Grand harp and effects. Her solo debut, The Withdrawing Room, was released in 2013 on Desire Path Recordings. Lattimore also writes harp parts for songs and recordings, performing and recording with such great artists as Meg Baird, Thurston Moore, Sharon Van Etten, Jarvis Cocker, Kurt Vile, Steve Gunn, Ed Askew and Fursaxa. Her debut solo record for Ghostly International, 'At The Dam', was recorded during stops along a road trip across America and released in March 2016. The next year, she compiled sounds from her past life in Philadelphia for a cassette tape titled 'Collected Pieces'. Released in May 2018 to acclaim from the likes of NPR, Pitchfork, and The New Yorker Lattimore's next album 'Hundreds of Days' presented an expression of mystified gratitude for the natural world.

‘Goodbye, Hotel Arkada’ (Ghostly International), Lattimore’s new LP, speaks not just for its beloved namesake - a hotel in Croatia facing renovation - but for a universal loss that is shared. Six sprawling pieces shaped by change; nothing will ever be the same, and here, the artist, evolving in synthesis, celebrates and mourns the tragedy and beauty of the ephemeral, all that is lived and lost to time. Documented and edited in uncharacteristically measured sessions over the course of two years, the material remains rooted in improvisation while glistening as the most refined and robust in Lattimore’s decade-long catalog. It finds her communing with friends, contemporaries, and longtime influences, in full stride yet slowing down to nurture songs in new ways. The cast includes Lol Tolhurst (The Cure), Meg Baird, Rachel Goswell (Slowdive), Roy Montgomery, Samara Lubelski, and Walt McClements.

LUCE MAWDSLEY (they/them) is an autistic non-binary composer and guitarist based in Liverpool with a practice rooted in progressive experimentation. Drawing from a range of poetic art forms, their work uses personal experience of neurodivergence, mental health disorders and queerness as a ligature from which to generate subversive explorations of gender, sexuality, place and identity formation. 'Northwest & Nebulous' (out this March on Pure O Records) is a lush and accomplished album suffused with radiant and fluid possibilities. A world-building album pulling from folk, Americana and soundtrack influences, it fuses their romantic and exploratory energies and signals the beginning of a new journey for composer, with an open invitation for listeners to come along for the ride. Luce Mawdsley will be accompanied by fellow North Liverpool musicians Nicholas Branton and Luci Mercer for this performance.

ALISON COTTON

STEREOCILIA

Friday 5 April

St Pancras Old Church

Pancras Road, King's Cross, London, NW1 1UL | Map
7.30pm | £13 | Buy tickets

ALISON COTTON is a viola player based in London working in composition and improvisation. Her debut album ’All Is Quiet at the Ancient Theatre’ was released in 2018 firstly on cassette on Bloxham Tapes, followed by a vinyl release on Cardinal Fuzz (UK) and Feeding Tube (USA). In July 2019 her longform piece, ‘Behind the Spiderweb Gates’ was released on the Australian label, Longform Editions. As well as the viola, she uses an array of other instruments (her voice, harmonium, percussion, recorder, omnichord, shruti box and piano) to create long, haunting folk drones. Cotton’s recent album ‘The Portrait You Painted of Me’, is a 6-track record – her first for Rocket Recordings. This will be followed up in March with ‘Engelchen’, an album reflecting on the intrepid Cook sisters whose efforts helped refugees escape Nazi-occupied Europe in the 1930s. It’s a celebration of the human spirit, one that reflects a universality in its narrative which transcends the boundaries of history and impacts very urgently on our daily lives. Whatever attempts may be made to tell this story, it’s hard to imagine one that resonates deeper than ‘Engelchen’.

STEREOCILIA is Bristol, UK based guitarist and composer, John Scott. John uses his guitar, analog synths and live looping techniques to create dense, rich layers of sound. Over the past 10 years John has performed all over the UK and Europe. in the past he has shared a stage with acts including Ben Frost, William Baskinski, Gnod, Nadja, Daniel Lanois, Noveller, White Hills, Acid Mothers Temple, Josef Van Wissem, Mick Turner (The Dirty Three) and performed in three of Rhys Chatham’s guitar Orchestras. He has also presented work for live radio broadcasts and regularly composes for Short Film, including the Channel 4 award winning documentary, 'The Boy With The 8-Hour Heart.' Stereocilia has released several albums and EP’s on UK independent labels, Drone Rock Records, Low Point, Champion Version, Weird Beard, and his own imprint, Echoic Memory. His 5th album “Crystalline” released in April 2023 was his third release for Brighton based label, Drone Rock Records.

MARTIN NEWELL (Cleaners From Venus)

Thursday 11 April

St Matthias Church

Wordsworth Road, Dalston, London, N16 8DD | Map
7.30pm | £15 | SOLD OUT

MARTIN NEWELL (Cleaners from Venus) will return this spring to London to perform some of his songs. He'll be doing two sets on a guitar and a piano - and talking. You should immediately drop anything else you were considering doing and endeavour to attend. Martin Newell is a purveyor of ingenious pop music. His music is refracted from late 60s rock only shot through with invention from the rough-and-ready explosion of DIY tape releases in 80s Britain. As a songwriter, he’s right up there with Syd Barrett and Ray Davies, capturing a peculiar Englishness that’s very much his own.

Martin started his career in music aged 19 when he joined an Essex glam-rock band called The Mighty Plod as a singer and gigged in rough clubs, pubs and colleges for the next two years. In his early twenties he joined a hard rock/prog band from Ipswich called Gypp and gigged in the UK as well as touring northern Germany several times. In 1979, he won his first record contract and shortly afterwards his first single ‘Young Jobless / Sylvie In Toytown’ was released, first on an indie label and then with Liberty Records. In the 1980s he formed the anarchic and wonderfully offbeat Cleaners From Venus, who after much defiance of music biz convention, signed to a London record company and began making proper records which were well reviewed and well-received. He began co-writing songs with Captain Sensible in 1986, a relationship which endures to some extent to this day. In 1989 he and his friend Nelson, now of New Model Army formed The Brotherhood of Lizards, were signed to make an album and proceeded to promote it, touring the record by bicycle. This led to many TV appearances and some notoriety and amusement in the media. In 1993, with XTC's Andy Partridge in the producer's chair Martin made what was to become his most successful album ‘The Greatest Living Englishman’, hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as a rock classic. Over the last ten years Martin has continued to release exhilarating albums under his own name and as Cleaners from Venus, most recently a winsome new Cleaners album called ‘K7’ was released on CD and cassette.

A highly-entertaining live act, Martin Newell performs infrequently, refusing nowadays to tour at all. He has been the subject of a highly-praised documentary film Upstairs Planet (2019) which enjoyed premieres both in London and in New York. A second documentary The Jangling Man, the director James Sharp’s intimate portrait of Newell’s life and work, premiered in London and Los Angeles in October 2022.

HOUSE Of ALL

THE COURTESY GROUP

Thursday 18 April

The Dome

2A Dartmouth Park Hill, Tufnell Park, N19 5QH | Map
7pm | £18 | Buy tickets

HOUSE Of ALL appeared earlier this year, followed by a magnificently-received debut album and two UK tours. Praise was immediate and ecstatic, in spite of controversy from former management of The Fall, who took offence at Martin Bramah's off-the-cuff description of the band as "part of The Fall family continuum". Despite this self-evident fact - Bramah was The Fall's original singer before switching to guitar, and with the other members (Peter Greenway, Paul Hanley, Steve Hanley and Si Wolstencroft) HOUSE Of ALL collectively spanned the entire length of The Fall's career. Controversy arose, resulting in a full Guardian article on the band months before the album's release - a scant three days after it was announced.

Their two brief tours were flawless; nearly every show sold out, and the latter tour was bolstered by "Bay City Pistols", a limited package that sold out in two weeks.Even before the first album was released, HOUSE Of All re-entered the studio to record their second album 'Continuum' which will be released in April by Tiny Global Productions.

THE COURTESY GROUP are set apart in their own musical galaxy as Birmingham's own tunemongering grinesters. They survive against fashion, mediocrity, systematic dullness and impossible odds. Marmite to most musical confectionery, their debut album 'Tradesman's Entrance' and its successor 'Second City Liquor' have aired on BBC6's Stuart Maconie's Freakzone, Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service and Guy Garvey's Finest Hour (and previously on The John Peel Show on Radio 1), as well as receiving glowing reviews from Mojo, Uncut, Louder Than War and Stewart Lee in 'The Sunday Times': live, they remain consistently dangerous and a robust antidote to a fully digitalised itunes world.

SCREAM

SOULSIDE

Friday 10 May

The Lexington

96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, London, N1 9JB | Map
7pm | £20 | Buy tickets

SCREAM formed in 1979. Drummer Kent Stacks, bassist Skeeter Enoch Thompson and the brothers Pete and Franz Stahl attended school together in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia, when they began to discover the punk and new wave scene in DC and the provocative power of making music. Like most of the punk bands in DC, they were influenced by the Bad Brains, but their rock and roll sensibilities set them apart. In 1982, they went into Inner Ear Studio with Ian MacKaye and Eddie Janney to record Dischord's first full length album, Still Screaming.

Scream followed this with a second full length album, This Side Up, in 1984. The band toured throughout the US and were one of the first US hardcore bands to tour Europe and the UK. In 1987, they released Banging the Drum, which was recorded at both Southern Studios in London and Inner Ear. In 1988, No More Censorship was released on reggae label RAS records. Scream returned to Dischord to release Fumble in 1993.

Scream's newest album, DC Special, was released late last year on Dischord Records. For this record, Scream invited their extensive music community to help create a unique project that weaves the history of music in Washington DC into the story of the band. DC Special embodies the same sense of community and politics that inspired Scream from the start and is a truly special collection of new music that speaks to the present and also tells the story of DC music, Scream, and the influences that shaped them.

SOULSIDE formed in Washington, D.C. in 1985, split up in 1989, then reformed in 2014 and has continued playing and writing music since then. After releasing their debut album on Sammich/Dischord, they recorded Trigger (Dischord, 1988) and Hot Bodi-Gram (Dischord, 1989), which were combined on the Soon Come Happy CD in 1990. The band toured extensively in the US and Europe during these years, including groundbreaking shows in Poland and East Berlin shortly before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.

In 2020, Soulside put out a new 7-inch, This Ship, their first release in 30 years, which was recorded in Prague. In late 2022, Dischord released a 12-song Soulside album, A Brief Moment in the Sun, which was written during the heart of the pandemic and recorded in person by J. Robbins in November 2021. Soulside toured the US and Europe in 2023 to support the new album. Soulside is: Alexis Fleisig (drums), Scott McCloud (guitar and vocals), Bobby Sullivan (vocals), and Johnny Temple (bass).

SOULSIDE

SCREAM

Saturday 11 May

The Lexington

96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, London, N1 9JB | Map
7pm | £20 | Buy tickets

SOULSIDE formed in Washington, D.C. in 1985, split up in 1989, then reformed in 2014 and has continued playing and writing music since then. After releasing their debut album on Sammich/Dischord, they recorded Trigger (Dischord, 1988) and Hot Bodi-Gram (Dischord, 1989), which were combined on the Soon Come Happy CD in 1990. The band toured extensively in the US and Europe during these years, including groundbreaking shows in Poland and East Berlin shortly before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.

In 2020, Soulside put out a new 7-inch, This Ship, their first release in 30 years, which was recorded in Prague. In late 2022, Dischord released a 12-song Soulside album, A Brief Moment in the Sun, which was written during the heart of the pandemic and recorded in person by J. Robbins in November 2021. Soulside toured the US and Europe in 2023 to support the new album. Soulside is: Alexis Fleisig (drums), Scott McCloud (guitar and vocals), Bobby Sullivan (vocals), and Johnny Temple (bass).

SCREAM formed in 1979. Drummer Kent Stacks, bassist Skeeter Enoch Thompson and the brothers Pete and Franz Stahl attended school together in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia, when they began to discover the punk and new wave scene in DC and the provocative power of making music. Like most of the punk bands in DC, they were influenced by the Bad Brains, but their rock and roll sensibilities set them apart. In 1982, they went into Inner Ear Studio with Ian MacKaye and Eddie Janney to record Dischord's first full length album, Still Screaming.

Scream followed this with a second full length album, This Side Up, in 1984. The band toured throughout the US and were one of the first US hardcore bands to tour Europe and the UK. In 1987, they released Banging the Drum, which was recorded at both Southern Studios in London and Inner Ear. In 1988, No More Censorship was released on reggae label RAS records. Scream returned to Dischord to release Fumble in 1993.

Scream's newest album, DC Special, was released late last year on Dischord Records. For this record, Scream invited their extensive music community to help create a unique project that weaves the history of music in Washington DC into the story of the band. DC Special embodies the same sense of community and politics that inspired Scream from the start and is a truly special collection of new music that speaks to the present and also tells the story of DC music, Scream, and the influences that shaped them.

LANKUM

Saturday 18 May

In collaboration with Parallel Lines

Hackney Empire

291 Mare St, London E8 1EJ | Map
8pm | £25-31.50 | SOLD OUT

LANKUM have gained worldwide acclaim for their engrossing albums and captivating, often euphoric live performances. Comprising brothers Ian Lynch (uillean pipes, tin whistle, vocals), Daragh Lynch (vocals, guitar) alongside Cormac Mac Diarmada (fiddle) and Radie Peat (harmonium, accordion, vocals), Lankum channel a diverse set of influences and histories to create a beautifully rare thing: a songbook from and for the people.

The group’s recent breakthrough album ‘False Lankum’ (Rough Trade) draws on traditional folk songs, but Lankum put their own dark, distinctive mark onto each, leaning into heavy drones and sonic distortion that imparts new intensity and beauty into each track. This record sees the band cement their breakout from the folk genre, creating bold, contemporary music that may be fashioned from traditional elements but is firmly new. “We wanted to create more contrast on the record so the light parts would be almost spiritual and the dark parts would be incredibly dark, even horror inducing,” the band explain. The album’s 12 tracks, composed of 10 traditional songs and two originals, show the four-piece using a new palate to colour their sound in an increasingly experimental way, alongside longtime producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy.

Following on from their much anticipated sold out show at The Roundhouse on Dec 13th 2023, Lankum will return to London in May 2024 to play the Hackney Empire, performing ‘False Lankum’ in its entirety!

EARTH BALL

CHRIS CORSANO

TERRINE

Monday 20 May

Cafe OTO

18-22 Ashwin St, London, E8 3DL | Map
7.30pm | £14 | Buy tickets

EARTH BALL are a wild ensemble from Canada, mainly based on Vancouver Island. Their inception was serendipitous, emerging out of necessity when Isabel Ford, John Brennan, and Jeremy Van Wyck needed a name for a gig. What began as a pragmatic solution blossomed into an artistically conceived project. Embracing complete improvisation, free expression and a truly psychedelic sound, the group's lineup expands for different projects and now features Kellen Maclaughlin on Guitar and Liam Murphy on Saxophone. Each member brings a diverse musical background, having been part of various bands such as Shearing Pinx, Plan Your Future, Kamikaze Nurse, Eschatons and Psychedelic Dirt. Their individual collaborations with artists like Deerhoof, Raven Chacon, Chris Corsano, William Hooker, and others enrich their collective experience, forging a powerful musical force.

Earth Ball’s first cassette 'Fruiting Bodies', released in 2021 under Misophonia Records, was followed by the self-released album 'Go to Earth.' The creative momentum continued with the digital and cassette release of 'Have One' in 2023. Earth Ball's dynamic presence has reverberated across the west coast of Canada. The group’s live shows are ecstatic and spontaneous, offering audiences a unique experience at every performance. Notably, their appearance alongside legendary experimental duo Wolf Eyes in August 2023 underscored their standing in the experimental scene. As Earth Ball continues to push the boundaries of improvisation and sonic exploration, they remain a guiding light for those seeking a transcendental musical experience. The group’s upcoming album ‘It’s Yours’ will be released on LP / digital by Upset The Rhythm this May and marks another significant leap forward.

CHRIS CORSANO is an upstate NY-based drummer who has been active at the intersections of collective improvisation, free jazz, avant-rock, and noise music since the late 1990's. Corsano is one of the greatest drummers working today, developing a percussive language of extraordinary amplitude and infinite resources. His collaborations stretch from free jazz greats (Joe McPhee, Evan Parker, Paul Flaherty & more) to noise mavens (Jandek, Bill Nace, C Spencer Yeh etc) and pop superstars (Björk). Capable of generating narrative out of permanent ecstasy, Corsano never ceases to be profoundly affirmative and imposing of his language, and being an absolute and charismatic virtuoso, he simultaneously is one of the most noble and generous improvisers of the few last decades.

A move from western Massachusetts to the UK in 2005 led Corsano to develop his solo music - a dynamic, spontaneously-composed amalgam of extended techniques for drum set and non-percussive instruments of his own making: e.g. bowed violin strings stretched across drum heads, modified reed instruments, and stockpiles of resonant metal. In February 2006, Corsano released his first solo recording, The Young Cricketer, and toured extensively throughout Europe, USA, Australia, and Japan. In 2009, Corsano returned focus to his own projects, including a duo with Michael Flower, Vampire Belt (with Bill Nace), Rangda (with Richard Bishop and Ben Chasny) and his solo work, further expanded in its use of contact microphones and synthesizers. In 2017, he received the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artist Award.

Corsano's dedication to collective improvisation has led to collaborations with many kindred spirits and his appearance on over 150 records and 1000 live performances. He's worked with, among others: Paul Dunmall (released by ESP-Disk), Joe McPhee (Roaratorio), Okkyung Lee (Open Mouth), Earth Ball (Upset The Rhythm), Nate Wooley (No Business & Astral Spirits), Jim O'Rourke & Akira Sakata (Drag City), Merzbow (Family Vineyard), Jessica Rylan (Load Records), John Edwards, Nels Cline, Heather Leigh, Ghédalia Tazartès and Sunburned Hand Of Man.

TERRINE is Claire Gapenne, an artist and musician from Amiens in the north of France. She has been part of the experimental scene since 2012, notably in the industrial rock band Headwar with whom she discovered other ways of performing music. Begun in 2013, her solo project Terrine develops spontaneous and immediate music. From 2014, she also formed Me Donner alongside Romain Simon, a band at the fringes of no-wave, no-techno and improvised music. In 2017 Me Donner and Les Conférences Bunker founded the group Les Conférences Donner where Claire plays free guitar. Finally in 2021 she started an electronic project with Amédée de Murcia called Jazzoux during a residency at Paris’ Instants Chavirés. Claire Gapenne’s music is hosted on many different labels, from No Lagos, to Tanzprocesz, Bruit Direct, Third Type Tape.

MOHAMMAD SYFKHAN

Thursday 23 May

St Pancras Old Church

Pancras Road, King's Cross, London, NW1 1UL | Map
7.30pm | £12 | Buy tickets

MOHAMMAD SYFKHAN is an Irish based Kurdish/Syrian singer and Bouzouki player. Mohammad’s own brand of ecstatic music takes elements from Middle Eastern and North African music to create an atmosphere of joy, love and happiness. Since arriving in Ireland, Mohammad has used the language of music to integrate into the local community by playing at private parties and concerts. He has been playing music since the 1980’s, while living in the city of Raqqa, Syria where he began working as a professional singer and started his own band, The Al-Rabie Band which played concerts, parties, weddings and festivals all over Syria. His debut album ‘I Am Kurdish’ came out on Nyahh Records in February.

JEREMIAH CHIU

Friday 7 June

St Pancras Old Church

Pancras Road, King's Cross, London, NW1 1UL | Map
7.30pm | £11 | Buy tickets

JEREMIAH CHIU is a Los Angeles-via-Chicago artist and musician who released his International Anthem debut duo record with Marta Sofia Honer, Recordings from the Åland Islands, in March of 2022. In Chicago, Chiu was an active member of the notoriously inter-connected improvisational and experimental music scenes. Chiu’s musical CV to that point included work with Icy Demons and Chandeliers, as well as visual art as Some All None. In Los Angeles, he is an electronic music composer and sound-artist, where he performs and composes solo as well as with a variety of collaborators including Josh Johnson, Anna Butterss, Greg Uhlmann, Booker Stardrum, Celia Hollander, Dustin Wong, and Sam Prekop.

Most recently, he has toured with Mary Lattimore, Sam Prekop & John McEntire, and was the opener for M83 on their U.S. Fantasy Tour. He recently released In Electric Time (on International Anthem), a improvised suite of organic electronic music created entirely analog, in-situ at Los Angeles’s Vintage Synth Museum as well as The Closest Thing to Silence, the debut from his trio with Marta Sofia Honer and legendary French born new age musician and electronic music composer Ariel Kalma.

THE REDS, PINKS & PURPLES

Wednesday 12 June

The Lexington

96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, London, N1 9JB | Map
7.30pm | £14 | SOLD OUT

THE REDS, PINKS & PURPLES is the post-indie project of Glenn Donaldson from San Francisco who releases songs like monthly postcards to a loyal following, amassing a huge catalogue of cathartic guitar pop – releasing 8 LPs over the last 5 years (on Tough Love, Slumberland). Donaldson’s hazy, melodic DIY pop captures a cinematic mood, with Donaldson referring to films like “Summer of ’42” and the influence of the classic 4AD catalogue of the 1990s. This style informs much of Donaldson’s prior and current ventures of course (The Ivytree, Vacant Gardens, and a dozen projects in between) but now The Reds, Pinks & Purples have taken the mantle, embracing this instinct for instrumental or dreamier modes of pop songwriting. The band debuts in the UK in June 2024 as a five-piece made-up of musicians from SF's thriving indie-pop underground.

THE REDS, PINKS & PURPLES

Thursday 13 June

The Lexington

96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, London, N1 9JB | Map
7.30pm | £14 | SOLD OUT

THE REDS, PINKS & PURPLES is the post-indie project of Glenn Donaldson from San Francisco who releases songs like monthly postcards to a loyal following, amassing a huge catalogue of cathartic guitar pop – releasing 8 LPs over the last 5 years (on Tough Love, Slumberland). Donaldson’s hazy, melodic DIY pop captures a cinematic mood, with Donaldson referring to films like “Summer of ’42” and the influence of the classic 4AD catalogue of the 1990s. This style informs much of Donaldson’s prior and current ventures of course (The Ivytree, Vacant Gardens, and a dozen projects in between) but now The Reds, Pinks & Purples have taken the mantle, embracing this instinct for instrumental or dreamier modes of pop songwriting. The band debuts in the UK in June 2024 as a five-piece made-up of musicians from SF's thriving indie-pop underground.

Slumberland Records showcase featuring…

BIRDIE

TONY MOLINA

LIGHTHEADED

HANGOVER LOUNGE DJs

Wednesday 24 July

The Lexington

96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, London, N1 9JB | Map
7.30pm | £14 | Buy tickets

BIRDIE's roots go all the way back to 1992 at Saint Etienne live band rehearsals. Debsey Wykes had been in Etienne (and everybody's!) faves Dolly Mixture and was on board as a backing vocalist, while Paul Kelly had been in the equally legendary East Village and was now part of St Etienne's touring band. The pair became fast friends and then a couple, bonding over a love of the sunshine pop and soft rock music of the 60s and 70s, and began spending hours together strategising a new band, eventually forming Birdie in 1994 and releasing the "Spiral Staircase" 7" in 1997.

In the summer of 1998 Birdie recorded their debut album "Some Dusty" with the estimable Brian O'Shaughnessy (Denim, Moose, The Clientele). It's a deep and beautiful album, with Paul's melodic, sophisticated arrangements providing the perfect setting for Debsey's sweet and soulful soft-pop vocals. Birdie followed up the 1999 release of "Some Dusty" on It Records with a series of essential singles - “Let Her Go," "Such A Sound," and "Sidewalk" -- culminating in the release of their second album "Triple Echo" in 2001. Family life and other artistic pursuits called, and Birdie has only been sporadically active since then. Their brief but perfectly-formed discography has become the stuff of legend, charming savvy pop fans around the world. Summer 2024 will see the long overdue vinyl reissue of "Some Dusty" on US indie label Slumberland Records.

TONY MOLINA is a northern Californian native with a restless, multi-faceted musical personality. He got his start playing in hardcore bands, but over time developed two distinct styles that are very far removed from that sound. Initially under the name Ovens, then as a solo artist, he crafts bite-sized chunks of melodic pop that can be broken into two sub-headings: quiet acoustic guitar-led ballads and noisy electric songs that sound like Teenage Fanclub with J Mascis and the Fastbacks' Kurt Bloch spearheading a dual guitar attack. In 2009 Molina released the first music under his own name, the 12-song Embarrassing Times cassette. In 2013, Molina released his second solo album, Dissed and Dismissed, a collection of 12 short and fuzzy tunes that took notes from '90s indie and power pop acts like Weezer, Redd Kross, and Dinosaur Jr. What was intended as a demo caught the attention of fans of melodic guitar pop and hooked two legendary American labels, Matador and Slumberland. The former released the Six Tracks EP later in 2013; the latter signed him and reissued Dissed and Dismissed in 2014.

His next album, 2018's Kill the Lights, came about much more naturally. He worked on some songs with a friend, Jasper Leach, and they decided to make a record out of the demos they had started. Recorded in two studios and a bedroom, the album was again built around Molina's acoustic guitar and winsome pop melodies, but this time featured some folk-rock-ready 12-string electric, a full-band sound, and Leach's keyboards. Molina’s latest album, In the Fade, was released by Summer Shade, an offshoot of Run for Cover, in August of 2022 and was the first of his solo records to contain all the sides of his musical personality under one roof.

LIGHTHEADED from New Jersey have conjured, through some mysterious alchemy, a distinctive flavor of pop that draws as much from 60s Brill Building, garage-pop and folk-pop as it does from the DIY indie explosion of the 80s/early 90s. Their debut EP "Good Good Great!" shows that band core Cynthia and Stephen are clearly students of pop in all its permutations, but they wear their influences lightly - a typical Lightheaded song could have been released in 1966 or 1986, but in fact sounds just right in 2024! Their sound has just right amount of elemental murk, drawing to mind a mythical collab between Phil Spector and Curt Boettcher's Sagittarius, working their way through the Goffin & King songbook. Cynthia's rich vocals are the secret weapon, possessing a depth and swing that can handle with aplomb the sprightliest pop or the tear-jerkingest drama. The group’s debut album titled “Combustible Gems”, will be released on Slumberland this May!

FUTURE ISLANDS

BAXTER DURY

JULIE BYRNE

Saturday 27 July

Crystal Palace Bowl

Crystal Palace Park, London, SE19 2BA | Map
2pm | Buy tickets

FUTURE ISLANDS have been singular and instantly identifiable, even from their start. Samuel T. Herring’s life-worn croons and cries backlit by Gerrit Welmers’ melodies and charged by the rhythms of William Cashion and Michael Lowry. Future Islands have played nearly 1,500 shows – shows that have bruised bodies, frayed vocal cords, provided escapes for audiences, and healed their messengers. New album 'People Who Aren’t There Anymore' (4AD) is a major work from a band at an inflection point: they’re discovering new ways to experience the world, because the old ways weren’t working. That freedom has led to the most fully realised, most transparently honest statement in their 17 years as a band.

LANKUM

Saturday 26 October

In collaboration with Parallel Lines

Eventim Apollo

45 Queen Caroline St, Hammersmith, London, W6 9QH | Map
7pm | Buy tickets

LANKUM have gained worldwide acclaim for their engrossing albums and captivating, often euphoric live performances. Comprising brothers Ian Lynch (uillean pipes, tin whistle, vocals), Daragh Lynch (vocals, guitar) alongside Cormac Mac Diarmada (fiddle) and Radie Peat (harmonium, accordion, vocals), Lankum channel a diverse set of influences and histories to create a beautifully rare thing: a songbook from and for the people.

This October the acclaimed Irish group will play their biggest headline show to date at the legendary Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London. This will be their only remaining UK concert in 2024 outside of summer festivals. The band have consolidated their reputation as one of Ireland’s most important voices following the release of their 4th, Mercury-nominated, album False Lankum (Rough Trade), which has garnered critical praise across the board and brought their music to legions of devoted new fans.

False Lankum is conceived as a single piece of music, comprising 12 inter-connected songs unfolding across an epic 70 minute duration. Drawing on traditional songs and primitive techniques, the band have created an immersive, psychedelic listening experience incorporating experimental overtones and rumbling drones wedded with classic songwriting, close vocal harmonies and timeless narratives. The Lankum live show has evolved into a modern day powerhouse, with the band’s acoustic instrumentation and close-harmony vocals transforming into a vast, kaleidoscopic wall of sound.

TARA CLERKIN TRIO

Saturday 16 November

EartH Theatre

11-17 Stoke Newington Rd, London, N16 8BH | Map
6.30pm-10.30pm | £16 | Buy tickets

TARA CLERKIN TRIO are Pat Benjamin, Sunny Joe Paradisos and Tara Clerkin, three musicians involved in a number of cult Bristol bands over the years before confidently settling down in triangle formation. They are inspired by and borrow from jazz, trip hop, electronica, psychedelia & minimalism, twirling the non-pretentious strands of these threads together into a trippy green winged-cloak, adorning Arthur Russell and dripping in blue jam.

Their self-titled debut LP was released in 2020 and was a sleeper hit, coming in at 35 in the Wire's top 100 albums of the year and in Bleeps top 10. Their latest EP, ‘On The Turning Ground’, was released on World of Echo in November. Whilst their inspirations might be centreless, but the trio still possess a very obvious anchor in the form of their hometown. Bristol stands as a city of multitudes, heterogenous and vibrant in such a way as to allow it to renew and remake time and again. Tara Clerkin Trio drink from that same well, duly reflecting a rich musical heritage built on fwd-facing electronic subcultures and experimental urges. As such, ‘On The Turning Ground’ finds them subject to their own subtle internal evolution, the pervasive sense that you've caught them mid-bloom, on their way to becoming but never anything but themselves.

UPCOMING RELEASES

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UTR163 | LP/CD | Pre-order

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UTR130 | LP/CD | Buy

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UTR126 | LP | Buy

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'Feathers & Hallways'

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'What's Going On?'

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'Deaths'

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