Myriam Gendron - London date announced!

 

Beyond thrilled to have Myriam Gendron playing a special show for us next April at Grand Junction! Tickets now on sale, ooh!
UTR
x


MYRIAM GENDRON
Monday 7 April
Grand Junction, Rowington Cl, London W2 5TF
7.30pm | £18 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/B9332cba32bb

MYRIAM GENDRON is a Montreal-based songwriter, guitarist and singer. Mayday is the third LP by Gendron, it follows her earlier, critically acclaimed albums, Not So Deep As A Well (2014) and Ma délire – Songs of love, lost & found (2021). Prior to her debut album, Myriam's primary musical focus was busking in Paris Metro stations, performing the songs of Leonard Cohen and others, accompanying herself on guitar. Through her day job, working at a Montreal bookstore, Myriam discovered the poems of American writer, Dorothy Parker, who was better known for her cutting wit than her verse. Inspired by Parker's words, Myriam wrote music to accompany a suite of them, then recorded the results in her bedroom. These recordings were issued as her debut LP, and continue to delight listeners who discover them, with their freshness, clarity and humor. After a brief hiatus, Myriam began exploring the complex folk traditions of Quebec (and beyond), recording the 2LP, Ma délire, which combines traditional and original songs (largely in French) with arrangements that make space for avant-garde musical interludes by such folks as guitarist Bill Nace (Body/Head) and renowned jazz percussionist Chris Corsano. Mayday is an even more syncretic fusion of these elements. Most of the songs are original, in both English and French, and blend traditional and avant elements with abandon. Additional players this time include drummer Jim White (Dirty Three), guitarist Marisa Anderson, Montreal bassist Cédric Dind-Lavoie (a fellow fan of trad/avant dynamism), Bill Nace and saxophonist Zoh Amba (whose horn actually gets the final “word”). Mayday is a thoroughly thrilling effort that manages to create new vistas of sound while maintaining a feel that is both intimate and familiar. Beautiful work.

https://myriamgendron.bandcamp.com/

 

 

 

Wolf Eyes in London next April!

 

 

 

Upset The Rhythm presents...

WOLF EYES
Thursday 10 April
The Underworld, 174 Camden High St, London, NW1 9DL
7pm | £15 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/qa5f170d34a7

WOLF EYES have spent 26 years fusing together DIY electronics with the avant-garde sensibilities of Fluxus and the granite of dreary Midwestern life. Their new album 'Dreams In Splattered Lines' is a surreal dreamscape of disorienting sound collages, where hit songs are transformed into terrariums of sonic flora and decimated fauna. As if pulled from a fever dream, the surrealists of the 1960s converge with alien electronic blues musicians in an underworld of mystery. The air is thick with car wash radio white noise, crackling and fizzing like a toxic elixir, spoken word poetry transmissions as absurd and cryptic phrases. Each corroded aural environment is a microcosm of chaos, honed to razor-sharp precision. Swept away in a whirlwind of thirteen perplexing narratives, each one an unpredictable journey through subterranean worlds, a sonic trip of reality folded into itself.
 
Wolf Eyes have released three albums recently ‘Dreams In Splattered Lines' was preceded by the compilation of collaborations 'Presents Difficult Messages', and the band followed this up with the release of 'Wolf Eyes w/ Spykes', bringing a much sought after early release to vinyl for the first time, documenting a recording session pivotal to the ongoing development of the group’s sound. Alongside this has been the usual steady stream of lathe cuts, side hustles, art and inzanity. A new LP is due out soon charting Wolf Eyes’ recent recordings with Anthony Braxton too, look out!

https://wolfeyes.xyz/ 

Bill MacKay added to Six Organs lineup!

Very pleased to say our Six Organs of Admittance show on March 27th has blossomed into a Drag City showcase with the addition of the magnificent Bill MacKay to the lineup!

 

Upset The Rhythm presents...

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE
BILL MACKAY
Thursday 27 March
Metronome London, 41 Commercial Road, Whitechapel, London, E1 1LA
7.30pm | £18 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/Gb5ecad0f987

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE have built a prolific and diverse body of work over the last 20+ years. Ben Chasny's project is an experimental amalgam of new folk, drone music, percussion and strange textures, with Chasny delivering an outpouring of eclectic releases in the early 2000s for various small labels before finding a longstanding home on Drag City. In 2003, Chasny began an association with Comets on Fire, which led to him becoming a full-time touring and recording member of the band. After recording and touring extensively with Comets on Fire in 2004, Chasny returned to the studio and issued the moving and beautiful School of the Flower on Drag City in January of 2005. Sun Awakens and Shelter from the Ash arrived in 2006 and 2007. After touring and a break in 2008, Six Organs began what would become a prolific return to force, releasing a further 18 astonishing records up to the current time. First was the release of the sonically expansive - and very electric - Luminous Night, followed by the double-disc retrospective RTZ, both of which appeared on Drag City. Chasny also plays in 200 Years alongside Elisa Ambrogio (of Magik Markers), with Donovan Quinn (Skygreen Leopards) in the project New Bums, and is also a member of tightly-wound improv unit Rangda, accompanied by Sir Richard Bishop and Chris Corsano.

Chasny more recently developed a card-based creative system called a Hexadic for making music and released several related albums before resuming his primary project with new work like 2021's The Veiled Sea and the 2024 Shackleton collaboration Jinxed by Being. This year Six Organs also released a fully solo album Time Is Glass, which consists of haunted, unsettled rural folk sounds. With Time is Glass, Six Organs of Admittance is captured once again in the intricate tangle of the fretboards, soaring in open skies above. Like lens flare cutting through the speakers; spider-webs cracking the windshield that holds back all the onrushing reality. Blowing the dust away, cutting a new path for cognition.

https://sixorgansofadmittance.bandcamp.com/


BILL MACKAY is a guitarist, improviser, composer, and singer based in Chicago. An accomplished collaborator with projects that include Katinka Kleijn (Stir, 2019), Nathan Bowles (Keys, 2021), and Ryley Walker (SpiderBeetleBee, 2017), MacKay is also a solo artist creating multi-dimensional works such as Esker (2017), Fountain Fire (2019) Scarf (2020), and Locust Land (2024), all released on Drag City Records. Bill’s music is a visceral crackling where it meets the air, and Locust Land can’t help but reflect its era more than any other in his discography. A restless energy and urgency is repeatedly felt — in the driving momentum of “Keeping in Time,” “Glow Drift,” and “When I Was Here” — while a dogged persistence radiates from the tone colors and percussion of “Oh, Pearl.” The sense of searching, displacement and longing in vocal tracks “Keeping in Time,” “Half of You,” and “When I Was Here” speak literally to the tumult of current vibrations. Within the arrangements, there’s also departure from previous norms — in addition to the brilliant guitar work for which he is known, Bill plays a variety of keyboards, from piano to organ to synth, extending his music with the available voicings, while enriching the sound field without abandoning his signature brevity. For fans of his singing, and following in the recent tradition of Fountain Fire as well as his collaboration with Nathan Bowles, Keys, Locust Land expresses with an increased vocal presence — and heightened engagement, with Bill’s words and melodies drawing us closer.

https://billmackay.com/

Callahan & Witscher - London - Feb 14th!

Romantic times! We have a new show lined-up on Feb 14th with Callahan & Witscher!

Upset The Rhythm presents…

CALLAHAN & WITSCHER
Friday 14 February
The Shacklewell Arms, 71 Shacklewell Lane, Dalston, London, E8 2EB
7.30pm | £8 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/ic571250f2f8

CALLAHAN & WITSCHER is the project of NYC-based musicians Jack Callahan and Jeff Witscher. Witscher has been one of the most daring voices in underground American music for two decades, highlighted by releases on Pan and NNA Tapes. Callahan’s focused, uncompromising approach to sound caught the attention of both Demdike Stare’s DDS label and Swiss composer Jürg Frey, who took Callahan on as his first composition student. Fans of their individual work might expect opacity, disruption, or rhythmic irregularity from their collaboration, but their debut LP ‘Think Differently’ sounds like a pitbull in a convertible, a sand-kicking beach party, the dopamine hit you get from 311 or Smash Mouth. It’s a punchy, crunchy, highly infectious record. How did Callahan & Witscher cut the path from the ghostly margins of avant garde musics to the gutters of post-grunge American hard rock? In the words of Callahan, “at some point, you start to need a stronger drug.”

The most potent characteristic of this stronger drug is the guitar. And not just any guitar, but a sassy, contagious, blithe guitar. Its presence is a drastic shift for two guys who’ve combined to make dozens of records over the years, not a single one of which has a recognizable guitar sound on it. Alongside the cool breezes and hyperactive fretwork of Callahan’s guitar playing, the songs are backboned by strutting, groove-happy vocals: all bark, all bite. Every song is a careful collage, light but dense, ornate with gang choruses, soulful femme vocals, autotune and whisper scratches. This accumulation almost manages to hide the record’s potent undertow of dread. ‘Think differently’ was released by Post  Present Medium last September.

https://callahanwitscher.bandcamp.com/album/think-differently

Final show of the year! Nightshift - Dec 8th!

 

Next weekend our last UTR concert of the year will take place on December 8th… it’s also our 21st birthday! All of these incredible artists are performing Nightshift, Robert Sotelo & Mary Currie (of Flaming Tunes) and Annelies Monseré! Let’s see out 2024 in style!
x


Upset The Rhythm presents…

NIGHTSHIFT
MARY CURRIE & ROBERT SOTELO
ANNELIES MONSERÉ
Sunday 8 December
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, London, N1 9JB
7.30pm | £10 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/pcd6fe8e5f9b

NIGHTSHIFT are a Glasgow music collective whose new album ‘Homosapien’ just came out on Chicago’s Trouble In Mind Records. Notably, the band has lost some members, gained a new member & shuffled some roles; former drummer Chris White (Spinning Coin) is now on guitar. His distinctive playing delivers a countrified energy that is central to the album, leading the song structures into more succinct and colorful places, matching the upbeat and playful nature the band has always drawn strength from, only more so now under his stylish approach. Primary vocalist & keyboardist Eothen Stearn’s lyrical gifts illuminate the group’s output with an optimistic urgency that is unmatched. On ‘Homosapien’ she wears her heart on her sleeve, but even in the song’s darkest moments, the words create a sense of hope and potential.  
https://nightshiftgroup.bandcamp.com

MARY CURRIE & ROBERT SOTELO have a new 7” EP out on Upset The Rhythm entitled ‘Dream Songs’. Introduced via a mutual friend, Robert Sotelo approached Mary Currie (Flaming Tunes/Officer!) about collaborating on four songs he was constructing with Glasgow based producer/sound guru Joe Howe. Performing live with a set-up that will reconfigure these four compositions into a minimalist bass, drum machine and keys dynamic the duo (and band) will also look at recreating some cuts from the Flaming Tunes era also, focusing quite heavily on a anything could happen approach.
https://robertsotelo.bandcamp.com/

ANNELIES MONSERÉ has been playing music solo since 2000. Initially the music was piano-based and mostly instrumental. Once she ‘discovered’ her voice, vocals became a main focus. The early songs had very simple structures and melodies, and the words were sparse and introvert. Her debut album ‘Helder’ (released by BlueSanct) was described as “a delicate album, complete with beautiful cracks and loads of tape-hiss.” Recorded at home in Gent between 2016 and 2023, Annelies new album ‘I Sigh, I Resign’ (Horn of Plenty) retains the intimacy of previous LP ‘Mares’ with it’s close-mic’d keyboards and vocals that capture every breath. Folk and early music are at the core of her sound but the palette of piano, organ, bass guitar, cello, synth and drum machine make it very much a document of the here and now.
https://anneliesmonsere.bandcamp.com/

Upcoming London shows!

  

Upset The Rhythm also have some amazing events in London on the horizon too! One last blast before the Xmas blizzard sets in.   This Thursday see us unite with Huggy Bear at New River Studios to help launch their stunning new book Killed (Of Kids). There will be DJ-ing, film projections, a quiz, some readings from the band, a book signing and many more fun activities to look forward to.   Next week, on Thursday 5th Dec at MOTH Club we're thrilled to have Baltimore jangle-botherers The Smashing Times back in the UK, joining their pals The Clientele who will be performing their formative songs as The Butterfly Collectors. What a show!!   Last but not least, Sunday 8th Dec sees us host our final event of the year with Nightshift, Robert Sotelo & Mary Currie and Annelies Monseré all performing at The Lexington. This will be technically Upset The Rhythm's 21st birthday party too, time flies when you're sticking up posters during soundcheck!   Read all about everything below...

Upset The Rhythm presents… HUGGY BEAR: KILLED (OF KIDS) book launch Thursday 28 November New River Studios, 199 Eade Rd, Harringay, London, N4 1DN 7.30pm | £5 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/eaa27c1c8a63 Join us to celebrate the publication of Killed (of Kids) a book about the band Huggy Bear, written by the five members of the band. There will be readings from the book, activities, and DJ sets by members of the band. Huggy Bear were a UK riot grrrl band that existed from 1991-1994. Outcast and outraged, they made a howling, squalling mess of punk, all the menace and freedom of flocking birds. The handful of records, zines, and memories that document this brief, bonfire lifespan sketch a blueprint for how to be in the world, for how to understand the forces of capitalism and patriarchy and capitulation and still resist. Huggy Bear were a group that let things be complicated, that considered themselves complicit, but never took that as a reason to surrender. Killed (of Kids) is a book by the five members of Huggy Bear (published by Jabs, Jabs, Jabs and The Grass Is Green In The Fields For You). It reproduces all seven zines made by the band during their lifespan alongside photos, correspondence, flyers and ephemera from their three year existence. This archive is joined by new text drawn from two years of interviews with the band members, carefully assembled into an extensive dialogue about intention, surprise, distress, encouragement.   https://thegrassisgreeninthefieldsforyou.co.uk/ https://www.jabsjabsjabs.com/

Upset The Rhythm presents… THE BUTTERFLY COLLECTORS / THE CLIENTELE THE SMASHING TIMES Thursday 5 December MOTH Club, Old Trades Hall, Valette St, London, E9 6NU 7.30pm | £10 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/va3aba677211 THE BUTTERFLY COLLECTORS are the precursor band of British indie legends The Clientele. Originally formed in Hampshire in 1991 by founding members Alasdair MacLean, James Hornsey and Daniel Evans, the group recorded an album’s worth of material entitled ‘It’s Art Dad’. This record wasn’t picked up by a label and the group continued writing songs until 1997 when they evolved into The Clientele. The Clientele have enjoyed great acclaim since with their cult albums ‘Suburban Light (2000), ‘The Violet Hour’ (2003), ‘Strange Geometry’ (2005) and latest majestic effort ‘I Am Not There Anymore’ (Merge Records). For this concert The Clientele will be performing their formative tracks from those halcyon days of their origins. ‘It’s Art Dad’ was eventually released in full in 2005. https://theclientele.bandcamp.com/album/its-art-dad THE SMASHING TIMES are a psychedelic twee freakbeat group from a Baltimore basement. Instruments played by humans, bare feet touching the ground. Wrinkled button downs, sweaters filled with holes, music audibly and sometimes visibly made by humans. Can you change the strings on your guitar? Maybe, can you buy me dinner? Lock up your Rickenbackers, Thee Jasmine Monk is coming to town, can they stay on your couch? Recent album ‘Bloom’ was released by Meritorio Records, featuring fractious, chiming riffs and Dan Treacy meets Stephen Pastel style vocals and an impressive collection of genuinely memorable tracks. The Smashing Times’ new album ‘Mrs Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys’ will be coming out on K Records in November. The Smashing Times are your new favorite MOD heart throbs. Is there REALLY a new Merseybeat Revolution? How many times can you really REALLY watch The Blow-Up alone in your room? Why don't you venture out the front door and take a bite of the real thing? The Smashing Times are a mainstay in the indie pop underground. The group mistrals the new modern life perfectly, the sharper world. https://thesmashingtimes.bandcamp.com

Upset The Rhythm presents… NIGHTSHIFT MARY CURRIE & ROBERT SOTELO ANNELIES MONSERÉ Sunday 8 December The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, London, N1 9JB 7.30pm | £10 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/pcd6fe8e5f9b NIGHTSHIFT are a Glasgow music collective whose new album ‘Homosapien’ just came out on Chicago’s Trouble In Mind Records. Notably, the band has lost some members, gained a new member & shuffled some roles; former drummer Chris White (Spinning Coin) is now on guitar. His distinctive playing delivers a countrified energy that is central to the album, leading the song structures into more succinct and colorful places, matching the upbeat and playful nature the band has always drawn strength from, only more so now under his stylish approach. Primary vocalist & keyboardist Eothen Stearn’s lyrical gifts illuminate the group’s output with an optimistic urgency that is unmatched. On ‘Homosapien’ she wears her heart on her sleeve, but even in the song’s darkest moments, the words create a sense of hope and potential.   https://nightshiftgroup.bandcamp.com MARY CURRIE & ROBERT SOTELO have a forthcoming 7” EP coming out on Upset The Rhythm this October entitled ‘Dream Songs’. Introduced via a mutual friend, Robert Sotelo approached Mary Currie (Flaming Tunes/Officer!) about collaborating on four songs he was constructing with Glasgow based producer/sound guru Joe Howe. Performing live with a set-up that will reconfigure these four compositions into a minimalist bass, drum machine and keys dynamic the duo (and band) will also look at recreating some cuts from the Flaming Tunes era also, focusing quite heavily on a anything could happen approach. https://upsettherhythm.bandcamp.com/album/dream-songs ANNELIES MONSERÉ has been playing music solo since 2000. Initially the music was piano-based and mostly instrumental. Once she ‘discovered’ her voice, vocals became a main focus. The early songs had very simple structures and melodies, and the words were sparse and introvert. Her debut album ‘Helder’ (released by BlueSanct) was described as “a delicate album, complete with beautiful cracks and loads of tape-hiss.” Recorded at home in Gent between 2016 and 2023, Annelies new album ‘I Sigh, I Resign’ (Horn of Plenty) retains the intimacy of previous LP ‘Mares’ with it’s close-mic’d keyboards and vocals that capture every breath. Folk and early music are at the core of her sound but the palette of piano, organ, bass guitar, cello, synth and drum machine make it very much a document of the here and now. https://anneliesmonsere.bandcamp.com/

Have a wonderful week, we'll see you at the book launch on Thursday! Upset The Rhythm

UPSET THE RHYTHM UPCOMING SHOWS

HUGGY BEAR: KILLED (OF KIDS) book launch Thursday 28 November New River Studios, 199 Eade Rd, Harringay, London, N4 1DN 7.30pm | £5 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/eaa27c1c8a63   THE BUTTERFLY COLLECTORS / THE CLIENTELE THE SMASHING TIMES Thursday 5 December MOTH Club, Old Trades Hall, Valette St, London, E9 6NU 7.30pm | £10 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/va3aba677211   RICHARD DAWSON Saturday 7 December The Ivy House, 40 Stuart Rd, Nunhead, London SE15 3BE 7.30pm | SOLD OUT   NIGHTSHIFT MARY CURRIE & ROBERT SOTELO ANNELIES MONSERÉ Sunday 8 December The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, London, N1 9JB 7.30pm | £10 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/pcd6fe8e5f9b   TRISTWCH Y FENYWOD Thursday 30 January St Pancras Old Church, Pancras Road, King's Cross, NW1 1UL 7.30pm | £12 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/Gc2b4cc9c987   TRISTWCH Y FENYWOD Friday 31 January St Pancras Old Church, Pancras Road, King's Cross, NW1 1UL 7.30pm | SOLD OUT   JAKE XERXES FUSSELL JENNIFER CASTLE Saturday 15 February EartH Theatre, 11-17 Stoke Newington Rd, London, N16 8BH 6pm-10.30pm | £17.50 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/Ob348d4f5135   SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE Thursday 27 March Metronome London, 41 Commercial Road, Whitechapel, London, E1 1LA 7.30pm | £18 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/Gb5ecad0f987   CLEANERS FROM VENUS (Martin Newell + live band!) THE GARDENERS Wednesday 23 April - SOLD OUT Thursday 24 April - NOW ON SALE! Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Rd, Shepherds Bush, London W12 7LJ 7.30pm | £15 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/e2db91604d19   RICHARD DAWSON Tuesday 29 April The Clapham Grand, 21-25 St John's Hill, Clapham, London, SW11 1TT 7pm | £30 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/richard-dawson (Tickets on sale on Monday 18 November at 10am) NAP EYES Wednesday 7 May The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, London, N1 9JB 7.30pm | £13 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/p590cef01f9d

 

Rattle - 'Your Move' single! 'Encircle' album announced!

A band like Rattle know a lot about time, so the fact they’ve made the world wait six years for new music must simply be an exercise in delayed expectation, build-up and ecstatic release! True monarchs of the beat. 

 

Upset The Rhythm are overjoyed to unveil today the band’s new single ‘Your Move’, a 15-minute hypnotic opus of boundless drum patterns and oft-wordless articulation. Minimal and magical in equal metre and measure. ‘Your Move’ features on the duo’s colossal third album entitled ‘Encircle’, out on Feb 28th through yours truly. 

 

 

‘Encircle’ is available to pre-order now digitally, on CD, on 180g black vinyl and as a limited 180g hot-pink LP through all the best shops and our bandcamp & webshop.

Stunning album artwork by Martha Glazzard. Mesmerising video by Pete McPartlan. Wondrous band photo by Julie R. Kane.

UTR
x

The Butterfly Collectors / The Clientele to perform on December 5th!

 

 

Great news! The Clientele will be performing songs from their formative years (as The Butterfly Collectors) at this concert too!

Upset The Rhythm presents…

THE BUTTERFLY COLLECTORS / THE CLIENTELE
THE SMASHING TIMES
Thursday 5 December
MOTH Club, Old Trades Hall, Valette St, London, E9 6NU
7.30pm | £10 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/va3aba677211

THE BUTTERFLY COLLECTORS are the precursor band of British indie legends The Clientele. Originally formed in Hampshire in 1991 by founding members Alasdair MacLean, James Hornsey and Daniel Evans, the group recorded an album’s worth of material entitled ‘It’s Art Dad’. This record wasn’t picked up by a label and the group continued writing songs until 1997 when they evolved into The Clientele. The Clientele have enjoyed great acclaim since with their cult albums ‘Suburban Light (2000), ‘The Violet Hour’ (2003), ‘Strange Geometry’ (2005) and latest majestic effort ‘I Am Not There Anymore’ (Merge Records). For this concert The Clientele will be performing their formative tracks from those halcyon days of their origins. ‘It’s Art Dad’ was eventually released in full in 2005.

https://theclientele.bandcamp.com/album/its-art-dad

THE SMASHING TIMES are a psychedelic twee freakbeat group from a Baltimore basement. Instruments played by humans, bare feet touching the ground. Wrinkled button downs, sweaters filled with holes, music audibly and sometimes visibly made by humans. Can you change the strings on your guitar? Maybe, can you buy me dinner? Lock up your Rickenbackers, Thee Jasmine Monk is coming to town, can they stay on your couch? Recent album ‘Bloom’ was released by Meritorio Records, featuring fractious, chiming riffs and Dan Treacy meets Stephen Pastel style vocals and an impressive collection of genuinely memorable tracks. The Smashing Times’ new album ‘Mrs Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys’ will be coming out on K Records in November.

The Smashing Times are your new favorite MOD heart throbs. Is there REALLY a new Merseybeat Revolution? How many times can you really REALLY watch The Blow-Up alone in your room? Why don't you venture out the front door and take a bite of the real thing? The Smashing Times are a mainstay in the indie pop underground. The group mistrals the new modern life perfectly, the sharper world.

https://thesmashingtimes.bandcamp.com

Xiu Xiu - London venue change! Electric Ballroom now!

Due to Heaven nightclub losing its live music license our concert with Xiu Xiu, Evichen and John Lee Bird & Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo on Tuesday 19 November will now take place at the Electric Ballroom in Camden. All original tickets remain valid.

 

 

Upset The Rhythm presents…

XIU XIU
EVICSHEN
JOHN LEE BIRD & FABRIZIO MODONESE PALUMBO
Tuesday 19 November
Electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High St, London, NW1 8QP
7pm-10.30pm | £16 | Tickets: https://link.dice.fm/Wbcbd06fdcd1


XIU XIU is the conduit for the uncompromising and unnervingly personal musical works of Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist Jamie Stewart, plus a roll call of collaborators both in studio and onstage. Streaming forth a ceaseless torrent of releases, side projects, art offerings and extensive international touring since 2002, Xiu Xiu's music has veered from damaged avant-pop to artfully orchestrated rock, squalls of black-hearted noise and most bases around and between, ever served with a bruising honesty and intensity that has ripped out the hearts of a legion of obsessive listeners.

13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips (Polyvinyl Records) is the newest record from Xiu Xiu, but only on the face of it. Underneath that face, the sinews and struggles of a need that seeks to name itself over every record, and every song on every record, ever written by Xiu Xiu of course. Nine songs to seal the deal for those who will still listen to all nine songs, in order, because an album is a message that can’t be read piecemeal. Mixed by John Congleton with a band-directed dictum that he should feel free to both “go crazy” and if there was ever any doubt as to what that meant please, by all means “choose iconoclasm.”
http://www.xiuxiu.org/


EVICSHEN aka Victoria Shen is a sound artist, experimental music performer, and instrument-maker based in San Francisco. Shen's sound practice is concerned with the spatiality/physicality of sound and its relationship to the human body. Her music features analog modular synthesizers, vinyl/resin records, and self-built electronics. Eschewing conventions in harmony and rhythm in favor of extreme textures and gestural tones, Shen uses what she calls "chaotic sound" to oppose signal and information, eluding traditionally embedded meaning.
https://evicshen.com/


JOHN LEE BIRD & FABRIZIO MODONESE PALUMBO present themselves as a queer duo of narrative words and soundscapes with an upcoming album featuring collaborations with Simon Fisher Turner, Xiu Xiu, Paul Beauchamp and Julia Kent and the recent EP “Some Time Spent There”, featuring actor/flute player Francesca Sebastian Puopolo, who also performs live with them.
https://fabriziomodonesepalumbo.bandcamp.com/album/some-time-spent-there 

'Look Familiar' by The Green Child released today!

 

 

Today we released this stunningly elegant album by The Green Child!

‘Look Familiar’ draws heavily on a refined psychedelic pop, with Raven's scenically measured vocal often shadowing the ebb and flow, but the energy of having four people in the room resulted in making the songs more upbeat and multi-dimensional!

Originally the recording project of Raven Mahon (furniture maker and member of Grass Widow, Rocky) and Mikey Young (recording engineer and band member of Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Shutdown 66), The Green Child now boasts Shaun Gionis (of Boomgates) on drums and Alex Macfarlane (who runs the excellent label Hobbies Galore) on guitar and synths.

The songs gathered on 'Look Familiar' were largely informed by "reality-shifting world events" Raven admits, "the subject matter just makes its way in when it's what I'm thinking about most the time" she continues. "There are a couple of homages to family members too. 'The Lawn' is about my grandmother and the area where she lived in the desert that was a short-lived socialist commune." 'The Lawn' is a propulsive thrum of lustrous electronic escapism offset with lyrics about a factory job binding cables together for NASA.

There are many standout moments across the album's ten tracks. 'Wow Factor' is a reverie of chiming guitar lines, dizzy, scurried melodies and floating centres. 'Arrows and Microtones' and 'Look Familiar' showcase The Green Child in a more reflective, expansive mode whilst ‘Private Laugh' comes alive with its crushed fuzz-guitar accompaniment and swirling synth eddies.

This album sounds like constant renewal, never seeking comfort, its the sound of four musicians pushing each other to new heights.

Tons of gratitude to @hobbiesgalore for teaming up with us on this release!

Special thanks to @caitlynmariegalloway @julianhocking 

for help with designing this beautiful artefact!

Available to order now from our webshop and all the best shops too!