Named as ‘One of Europe’s finest ’gazer bands of the last decade’ [Daily Bandcamp], Rev Rev Rev metabolize shoegaze and psychedelic rock elements in a loud, woozy, fuzz-driven way.
Since the debut, their signature wall-of-sound has inspired rave reviews, with single “Catching a buzz” spun on BBC6 (Steve Lamacq, Radcliffe, and Maconie) and sophomore album ‘Des fleurs magiques bourdonnaient’ praised by influential webzines like Drowned in Sound, Clash Music, Sounds better with reverb.
Their live set at Manchester’s Cosmosis Festival, headlined by The Jesus and Mary Chain, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Raveonettes and WIRE, kick-started a 44-date tour touching UK, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy, during which the quartet shared the stage with The Telescopes, Ringo Deathstarr, and Gonjasufi. In Italy, the band was ranked among the best live shows by 200 Italian promoters of the KeepOn Live indie network.
The new album, produced by James Aparicio (Spiritualized, Cult Of Dom Keller, Dead Vibrations), has been released in September 2019 on cult indie psych label Fuzz Club.
Their set at SXSW 2019 impressed, among others, Bob Boilen of All Songs Considered and earned them a feature on NPR’s festival wrap-up as well as airplay on the network’s radios. The band has been invited to play Eurosonic 2020.
Featured image by Salvatore Giorgio.
LINKS:
https://revrevrev.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0osv6JQzCfTjwPAOKZlSBP
https://www.facebook.com/revrevrev.band
https://www.instagram.com/rev.rev.rev
https://twitter.com/revrevrev_band
http://www.revrevrev.org
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Scott Swain – It’s Too Late
Drawing on influences from Americana, Country, and Alt Indie, Scott Swain is a UK based singer-songwriter (with no fixed abode as he travels around in his camper-van with his dog at the moment).
Although he has been likened to Nick Cave, and even The National, his main source of influence is cinema.
Each of his songs is written about particular films which have left their mark on him. In June 2017 he began writing and recording his debut EP, which was finally completed in January 2018 thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign.
On It’s Too Late, Scott says:
“It’s too late is mainly inspired by the French film Irreversible – a hard to watch film about taking the wrong actions following a deeply traumatic event. The overall vibe of the music is inspired by one of my favorite bands, The Smashing Pumpkins”.
When listening to his music, a glass of good bourbon is optional.
Scott’s Social Media links are here and you can stream and download the single now.
LINKS:
http://www.scottswainmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/scottswainmusic
https://www.soundcloud.com/scottswainmusic
https://www.twitter.com/scottswainmusic
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtkZpI4DKatrseCxHFizj9g -
The Membranes – A Strange Perfume
With sixteen epic, powerful and darkly romantic songs on offer, this is The Membranes’ eighth studio album overall and the second since they reformed in 2010 when former support band My Bloody Valentine convinced them to return to the stage for the ATP festival. This album is a game changer in the tradition of Manchester bands like Joy Division.
This album features appearances from vocalist Kirk Brandon (Theatre of Hate, Spear of Destiny) and 84-year-old folk singer Shirley Collins, one of England’s premier folk singers of the ’60s revival. Renowned nature TV presenter Chris Packham also contributes, as does the legendary Jordan, who practically invented the punk look in 1975. Half the tracks also feature the 20-piece BIMM Choir, offsetting a sound laden with dark drones and an atmosphere of melancholic epic power.
The album was recorded at 6DB Studio in Manchester with Ding Archer, a former band member with PJ Harvey, The Pixies and producer of the last nine albums by The Fall. John Robb wrote all the parts for the choir. This release follows up their acclaimed album ‘Dark Matter/Dark Energy’, the band’s best selling release, which received rave reviews and ample radio play on BBC 6 Music and internationally.
‘What Nature Gives… Nature Takes Away’ is about the beauty and violence of nature. This is a very diverse work with dark, brooding cinematic choir-driven songs. Imagine the sound of Hieronymus Bosch paintings to discordant wild songs about crows, demon flowers, strange perfumes, voluptuous petals, voluminous oceans, treacherous seasons and the poetry of life and death set to spooked pulsing musical pieces, ranging from epic choir-driven postpunk songs to dark dub workouts, from throbbing dirty disco dark wave pulses to grinding heavy bass-driven pieces, from apocalyptic visions to choir-driven epic swirls.
“This is the pinnacle of our long and strange journey. This album is steeped in the powerful forces of nature and an underlying emotional undertow that is dark and brooding bass driven postpunk with the epic swirl of the choir and diversity of sounds that takes you on a trip. I put my life into this album musically, lyrically and emotionally,” says John Robb.
“The Membranes was born of postpunk in the late 1970s – a time when a generation inspired by punk rock created music on their own terms. We were immersed in that scene and that world and when we reformed we picked up on those themes and ideas and the diverse fellow travelers that we were contemporaries of like Joy Division, Bauhaus, Einsturzende Neubauten, Nick Cave, PiL, Big Black, and newer bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor, Mogwai, Ulver, and Wardruna – bands who fuck with the template to create an atmosphere and mood.”
Formed in 1978 in Blackpool, The Membranes played classic bass-driven northern post-punk and were part of the same world as bands like The Fall, Sisters Of Mercy, Echo and The Bunnymen and Cabaret Voltaire, all inspired by 1977 to launch their own idiosyncratic journeys. The band released a remarkable series of records that combined their small town frustration with a love of heavy bass and distortion. This ultimately became a prime influence and the precursors to such American noiseniks as Steve Albini, Swans and Sonic Youth.
John Peel and music press favourites, a continual frenzy of releases, public acclaim and touring worldwide with national TV appearances, the band went on hiatus in 1990 until finally reforming in 2010.
The Membranes are Peter Byrchmore (guitar), Nick Brown guitar), Rob Haynes (drums), and John Robb (vocals and bass), a renowned TV and radio pundit, editor of Louder Than War, a key UK music site and national magazine, and curator of the Louder Than Words festival. In autumn, John Robb will also release ‘The Art Of Darkness’, a book on the darker side of post-punk, adding to his collection of best-selling books on punk rock.
As of June 7, ‘What Nature Gives … Nature Takes Away’ will be available on vinyl and CD, and digitally from stores such as iTunes and streaming platforms like Spotify. There is also a deluxe double vinyl ultra limited edition of 150 copies. This summer, cosmetics company Lush will release a Membranes perfume called ‘A Strange Perfume’ after the album’s opening track. In the meantime, the band will tour the UK in support of their new LP.
LINKS:
http://www.themembranes.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/themembranes
https://www.twitter.com/membranes1
https://www.instagram/themembranes
https://membranes.bandcamp.com -
September Mourning – Glass Animals
Hard Rock Graphic Novel Art Project September Mourning has released the official music video for their newest single, “Glass Animals.”
Shortly after Glass Animals drops, Image Comics is releasing September Mourning The Complete Collection co-created by Lazar and Marc Silvestri, co-written by Mariah McCourt and David Hine, illustrated by Sumeyye Kesgin and Tina Valentino and published by Top Cow. “In a world where Reapers prey on the souls of the living, imprisoning them in the shadow-land of Mortem, there is one last hope for humanity…. September Mourning” describes Lazar. The graphic novel will be sold in comic stores, books stores (Barnes & Noble) nationwide and on Amazon.
‘Glass Animals’ is about the fragmented soul. It’s about the realization that we are all broken. Something or someone has broken us and within that broken state we ultimately find the strength to survive. Musically, it’s a little bit of a tribute to one of our favorite bands: The Deftones. The song ties into the comic book as well…. Hannah is a broken soul who, through the help of September and Claire, finds the strength to face her personal demons and live again.
– Emily Lazar (Founder)To support the release of the graphic novel and new music, September Mourning will be hitting the road, supporting Smile Empty Soul. Before and after the dates, the band will also be doing a handful of headline shows that will be announced soon. Doing this tour the band will also be stopping by local comic retailers for a special meet and greets and acoustic performances.
“September Mourning’s debut album (Volume II) and comic books (A Murder of Reapers/ The Hand of Fate) tells an epic tale of “heartbreak, loss, pain, joy, love, redemption, but most of all, courage…” while the comic books chronicle the first chapter of her story.” Produced by Sahaj Ticotin and Howard Benson, September Mourning revives the concept of rock star meets superhero. If Marilyn Manson and X-Men’s Storm had a kid, it would be September Mourning, who also cites influences as varied as Motionless In White, Disturbed, and Muse.
“For me, the project is a story, a theatrical art piece,” September explains. “Music is the backbone, but for this to work, it has to include the imagery and the narrative all symbiotically linked into the whole. Music taps into your innermost being. There’s something very intimate and personal about it.”
The character of September Mourning is a human-reaper hybrid, who feels the need to give some human souls a second chance and thus toys with Fate. To expound on this narrative, September is working with iconic comic book artist Marc Silvestri, who started out on the original X-Men comics and went on to form Top Cow Productions (Witchblade, The Darkness). Together, they are putting together the story of September Mourning in graphic form, to accompany, and enhance the musical message.
Having performed at large festivals like Rock on the Range and Download Festival and shared the stage with acts like Marilyn Manson and Avatar, September Mourning has already built up an impressive fan base, which she calls her “Children of Fate,” constantly encouraging them to have “the courage to embrace their passion… to allow yourself to follow your heart and not be a slave to your fears. To know that the only boundaries that exist in our lives are the ones we allow.”
LINKS:
http://www.septembermourning.com
https://www.facebook.com/septembermourning
https://twitter.com/SeptmbrMourning
http://instagram.com/septembermourning