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Home , Ant Rap, A Beautiful Noise, Bacdafucup, Beautiful Noise, David Bryant (musician), Efrim Menuck

THE ALGIERS TRICKY GY!BE jim kotsis

ISSUE 1 / July 2018 Turn it up! Contents INTRODUCING

“Come on stage, play for an hour and fuck of f. No chat, no encore, no filler and every single note a killer! anonymous fan from the Kerrang letter page complaining about the bloated Black era Metallica”” gigs

“Its all about the music man Bullshit!!!!!

Would Led Zepplin have the legacy and the great photos capture this. Lets they have, had been a fat celebrate this...... oh OK, we can talk middle aged bald guy? Would grunge about the music a little if we must. have hit the way it did without the photos of Charles Peterson and the Welcome to the debut issue of the new words of Everett True? Can a band make music fanzine, “A Beautiful Noise”, a look it in todays industry without a headline at the images and words behind the noise. making video? Music has always, always Guest photographers, writers, musicians been as much about the image as it is and artists growing into a collective about the music. George Epstein got it, unit. From national touring bands to Oasis got it, Courtney Love got it and young unsigned upstarts, it will all get ultimately the Gorillaz certainly got it. covered here. Live reviews, anniversary You don’t believe me? Yes you do, Rock memoriums, interviews interspersed with n roll is sexy, exciting and rebellious plenty of general chitchat. Turn it Up!.

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 2 2 CONTENTS 4 portfolio A collection of musical images taken over the last few months. 18live The Algiers live at Temple Tricky live at Fuzz Club 40top5 Godspeed You! Black Emporer at Gazi A desert Island discs if you will 30interview Jim Kotsis takes us through a musical life in the Greek capital It was20years ago today Revisiting records as they celebrate their 20 year anniversary. 41spin the Sparklehorse - Goodmorning Spider Gillian Welch - Onyx - Bakdafukup! black circle The 3 wise monkeys sit around a table and discuss 3 records from various themes that they deem worthy of discussion Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 3 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 4 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 5 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 6 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 7 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 8 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 9 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 10 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 11 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 12 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 13 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 14 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 15 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 16 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 17 LIVE REVIEWS

THE ALGIERS p.6 TRICKY p.9 GY!BE p.14

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 18 Contents TheTemple Algiers Athens, Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 19 leads to an incredibly A BEAUTIFUL visual set, all eyes firmly focused on the 2 at the forefront, allowing the 2 remaining members, guitarist Lee Tesche and ex RAGE Bloc Party drummer Matt Tong to remain in the shadows adding textures and furious tribal beats.

Cry of the Martyrs, Cleveland, Death March, the songs passed he phrase beautiful noise could not be more by in a whirlwind, maracas, loops, ableton live, a chainsaw of some apt than The Algiers in Athens in the dark type, were all utilized to enforce that this was not your standard rock early months of 2018. Hailing from Atalanta band. Sure they could rock, but they could also be cinematic, they could be Georgia, but formed in , they crashed romantic, they could be comedic. They were not here solely to mosh but to Tinto this South Eastern section of Europe with dance as well. You are left wondering what would have sounded like if unbound fury. Promoting their second record, the he hadn’t gone towards the lush ambiance of his more recent output. rather wonderful ‘The Underside of Power’. Playing to a full house at the cosy but beautifully formed Any moral preaching was left to the stage craft and the songs, very little was said Temple club in the Greek capital, they brought on stage, this is of course, a blessing, nothing like destroying the atmosphere their blend of rock, funk, gospel, technology and by rambling on with ill conceived jokes and, cough, splutter, banter. It was left politics, and delivered it in an angry powerhouse of for the music to batter and jive, to give life and to destroy, sometimes within a performance that ensured the audience left the the constraints of a single song. venue firmly entrenched in their camp. This is no ordinary band, their ability to fuse such different styles while retaining With US politics and worldwide race relations at the anger and the funk is a true gift, embrace them. a seemingly low point, guitarist Franklin James Marshall, looking resplendent in black leather, posed 90 minutes later they were gone, cheers, thanks, yada yada yada, they were out an intimidating and angry figure. Sporting ablack of here. As i left I ran into the promoter, he never has for small talk, “That lives matter pin badge you couldn’t help but see was fucking awesome” he screamed into the night. Indeed it was sir, indeed it a Black Panther within him. With his Hendrix style was. leanings, he prowled the stage, whether he was banging the Rhodes , attacking his guitar or looping his vocals, or doing all three at once, allowing the noise to cascade over the crowd while bass player Ryan Mahan danced like a man possessed. And here “The revolution may not be lay the secret, an angry, highly charged political group, screaming at the world and its injustices while never televised, but this doesn’t mean it forgetting to dance. can’t have a funky soundtrack”. The revolution may not be televised, but this does not mean it can’t have a funky soundtrack which all

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 20 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 21 TRICKY Fuzz Club, Athens Greece January 31st 2018

n the early 90’s UK television had a show called Bouncers. Long before the glamour of the scripted reality TV that would emerge a decade later, this was a TV crew following the lives of a firm Iof doormen as they worked the doors of Bristol’s nightlife. For someone who had never been it sure did look rough, really fucking grim. Bristol huh? Remember that place as one I never want to go to.

Fast forward a few years and with the decline of Seattle and the emergence of trip hop it had become as the downbeat atmosphere becomes uneasy, tense the coolest place on the planet. What happened? and claustrophobic. Well a lot apparently, and ultimately 25 years later, i find myself in Greece watching one of the main It was neverending, the drum and bass, the low growl protagonists on stage showing us why we still care of Tricky, the darkness ever so infrequently punctuated about this city and the art it produced. by slithers of light. The odd strobe, the emergence of Breanna Barbara taking the place of Martina Topley- It cant be ignored that the stage is dark, and by Bird gave brief respite but the darkness would soon dark I mean really dark. The crowd love it and the return. The gig was everything you would expect and photographers hate it, cameras aren’t focusing and want, a career retrospective rather than heavy on his if you listen carefully you can hear the ISO meter new album although the cover of Hole’s ‘Doll Parts’ being increased all around us. The band open with was definitely a highlight, as was set closer ‘Vent’ an instrumental version of Sweet Dreams, it sounds from his earlier work. ominous and menacing Tricky emerges wearing a shirt which he immediately removes leaving us So has my opinion of Bristol changed since those questioning the point of wearing it at all. Regardless, documentaries? Have I embraced it as a metropolis pacing the stage is the Tricky we know and love. His haven of beatniks and peace loving artists? I have no spoken style brutally punctures the music beneath idea, I have still never been.

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 22 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 23 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 24 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 25 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 26 THEGazi FIREHall May 31st 2018 INSIDE BLACKGODSPEED EMPORER YOU!

When news broke that Godspeed You! very apparent. They may be put under the Black Emperor were lumbering into same umbrella as bands like Sigur Ros and Greece for the first time in 8 years, Radiohead but as a visual show, they are expectations were understandably high. miles apart. This however, is not necessarily Such was the demand that the venue a bad thing as the static demeanor on stage was soon changed and it was for this allows the audience to focus on the real reason that the Gazi music Club saw a star of , the projectionist who capacity crowd descend upon it for the spends his evening juggling 4 old school arrival of these enigmatic Canadians. film projectors like a turntable. Reams of Arriving on cue at 10 they, as ever, began tape hung up beside him, he constantly with the rising Hope Drone. A piece of changes and cuts and threads the film as noise that swells and groans and creaks the screen portrays various forms and loops while various members amble onto the of historical events as an incredible black stage in their own time and seemingly, and white backdrop to the music. Thats lazily, lock in with each other. Behind right kids, there is no midi synch here. It is them the word hope is scrawled across really quite a powerful statement, Not least a backdrop of TV static. It doesnt look during a stunning rendition of ‘Undoing very convincing, nobody is fooled into a ’ when the band were believing we will be leaving the arena joined by Danish Saxophonist Liberty, who, tonight with a newly found sense of upon turning her back on the audience in such. order to see the screen, delivered a quite beautiful noise while allowing the image of Mladic follows and it soon becomes a looping falling plane to dictate to her. clear that GY!BE are nothing to look at, a number of band members spend the As the chaos unfolded behind them the entire gig sitting down and the lack of band unassumedly created the breathtaking lights and special effects soon becomes soundtrack to the evening.

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 27 and

Mike Moya spent the night hunched over their , a bare footed seemed more interested in his pedals than his guitar and Sophie Trudeau seemed to be alone in the room with her violin. This didn’t seem to be about the audience, you got the fiery impression that they were incindental. Had the band had a day off they probably would have spent it doing the exact same thing, such was the release it seemed to bring, The music droned, soared, crashed and roared, no words, no thank yous, nothing to disrupt the flow and the atmosphere. (Steven Wilson take note). Breathtaking in its simplicity, the melodies were picked out among the dirt and thrown out into the air to land where they may. By the time Moya had brought the evening to a quite literal close, 8 songs and 2 and a quarter hours had passed. Never before had so much been said with so little.

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 28 GY!BE

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 29 BRING

Jim puts down his beer hand.” I only asked him what his official

and looks at me with a job was. Another beer please!

look of barely concealed

contempt. I am half Welcome to the world of Jim Kotsis, a man THE expecting him to throw for whom the word sleep is a mild irritant, a his hands in the air in man who has fingers in many pies as he plays

a fit of Mediterranean his part in helping his home town of Athens,

exasperation but instead Greece make a big noise. And what a noise it

he slowly shakes his head is, metal is big in Greece, take a walk through

with disappointment. the many vinyl record shops situated around

“Who cares for titles?” Monastiraki at the foot of the Acropolis and you will NOISE He says, “I’m a publicist, see the walls adorned with the pointy logos of metal a producer, a promoter, a bands from the early 80’s right through to the modern

musician, a back office freak, day. Something that is now being reflected with the

an occasional journalist, growing number of musicians taking it upon themselves

a graphic designer, and to shape the sounds of the city. I ask him why, what is

sometimes I’m just a helping it about metal that appeals to people here in a way that

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 30 maybe doesn’t in more Northern European climates. “There’s a lot of alternative and heavy

music in Athens these days. Quite a few people take on forming new bands and music export

is a common habit for the local artistic community. It’s no surprise that urban kids make urban

music. That’s the way it always was.” Have the recent, well publicised financial issues that have

enveloped the country played its part? Apparently so, “Environment can be very influential to

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 31 art.” He agrees. up the contrasts of the catty back biting Brit and Drew McDowell, the glam of Finnish

Pop scene in London in the mid 90’s and the band circle and punks such as Unsane Indeed Jim himself is a prominent musician, almost incestual late 80’s / early 90’s scene and industrial leanings of The Soft Moon. T Blackop Sabbath 5- Heaven records and Hell initially making a name for himself with his in Seattle where bands cross pollinated with “Was it a conscious effort to bring that The Who - Quadrophenia band Mahakala, a Doom metal outfit with each other on a seemingly monthly basis. cross section of music together under Blue Oyster Cult - Fire of Unknown Origin surprisingly melodic vocals but sadly currently “The Greek scene is great.” Jim enthused, one roof?” “I enjoy all kinds of music, Megadeth - Rust in Peace on a hiatus. “We’re not active these days. “There can be competition at times but irregardless of the genre or the artist’s Coven - Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls I needed a break from what I was doing that’s not a big deal, as far as there are no status. Fraternity Of Sound was mostly with them. It’s not that we ever had a very backstabbings.” “Is there money to be made curated by my comrade, Efstathios, busy schedule, but mostly the fact that in the local scene?” I ask hopefully. He shakes owner of the 3 Shades of Black label. as a form of expressing myself, it became his head sadly, “You can’t make a living in That was a great effort with huge impact pretty exhausting! It’s good to know when to rock and metal music these days. There’s no in our lives. We’re not just business, so stop. Maybe we’ll return someday.” A search thing such as a music industry and there will the memories from such an experience on and you will find some quite not be one in the near future, as it seems. still help us in times of crisis, making elaborate videos from Mahakala but this isn’t There are always exceptions (even Greek us feel good for what we’re doing as something that he spends much time thinking bands such as 1000mods and Naxatras, a professionals, but mostly as fans.” I ask about. I’m not into music videos much but band that is growing rapidly at the moment) if it will return and am promised that it

I always enjoy watching a good one. When but the rule is what I call “pay-to-play”. Sad will, in some form, although not in 2018. we do them, it’s just a way of promoting our but true.” music the most, and just like we do with I tell him a story about sometime around everything else, we’re trying our best to make So lets get back to promoting and the part he 2005 when I called in sick, spent the them look good”. However, his current plans plays in bringing the music to the city. We day in Athens and in the evening went to see Mike Patton’s Fantomas at one are kept close to his chest with a dismissive talk about his critically hailed but financially of the newly (but already disused) built “As a matter of fact I’m involved in some troubled Fraternity of Sound festival in 2017 Olympic Stadiums. It was canceled, to other music projects lately and I’m very happy at the Fuzz club which brought together 3 this day I have no idea why, probably about it.” days of experimental music across all genres. a lack of sold tickets. A frustrating part

Headlined by the likes of Godflesh and of living in Greece back then was the lack of touring bands that came to the His enthusiasm picks up when I question Thurston Moore but also brought together city, many International bands saw their him about the Greek music scene, I bring the droning electronic sounds of Ben Frost European tour stop in Italy, Happily over

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 32 the years there has been a notable shift. The to have a plan B.” I mention Facebook and the growth of the Summer festival scene with the recent scandal with the company Cambridge massive ‘Release’ and ‘Ejekt’ festivals joining Analytica and the selling of people’s data for the boheamouth long standing ‘Rockwave’ political use, “Is social media on the verge along with several smaller events throughout of another seismic change?” I ask. He nods, the city, ably supplemented by mid sized clubs “Facebook is already less effective. Instagram such as Gagarin, Fuzz club and the Academy seems to be taking over. There’s so much have seen a sizable international music scene information out there, creating a competition develop. “Good things come to those who wait” between products trying to catch your he says. “That’s simple math. The audience attention. That’s why one has to have good has grown bigger over the years, creating a content and promote it constantly.” small market in Greece (still small, compared to other EU countries) and making things more And with that he has to leave, July 21st and convenient for professionals. The Internet has 22nd sees him as part of the team bringing us changed the face of the industry a lot too.” the festival New Long Fest, an extravaganza

of Greek alternative and metal music including

Ah, the Internet, a topic I was hoping to get favourites ‘Nightstalker’, ‘Black Hat Bones’ onto to. Its changing the face of marketing and ‘Sober On Tuxedos’, and he doesn’t have as we speak, “what are your feelings on this? time for hanging around chatting. As he leaves

Do you still spend time putting out flyers and however, the initial question of what his job posters?” “I don’t believe that a lot of people was is still irking him and he turns at the door. pay attention to posters and flyers these days.

Everyone is in front of a computer screen “You can call me all the names in the world, but all the time. Some people do not even pay the truth is that in the end of the day I’m just attention to other people around them when trying to be a better human being and a better they’re stuck to the screen. It’s the new world professional. I don’t always succeed but who order. At the same time, I believe that we must does?” not overcome the old methods entirely, cause they can come back any time. It’s always good

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 33

Sparklehorse 20 p.20

ONYX Hell Among the Yearlings

Bacdafucup!

p.18 p.21 Gillian Welsch Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 34

Sparklehorse Good Morning Spider

“Get miserable, get Sparklehorse”.

hese were the only words I needed from a record review in some dodgy UK guitar magazine back in 1998 to send me running to a record shop in pursuit of musical er....happiness? I learn Tthat Sparklehorse is the work of one man, a , and this is his second record, but that must wait. My newly acquired CD digipack (remember those?) was turned on and i sat back awaiting songs of despair to swallow me up and spit me out like a broken and abused vacuum.

Except it didn’t, the record begins with ‘Pig’, a burst of distorted that smashes through the speakers and leaves you wondering what the hell was that? “I wanna fuck a car” he deadpans, yeah whatever, this is not what was painted on the tin, slightly glorious yes, miserable however, this ain’t. Not to worry though, track 2 brings the title Painbirds and we are suddenly on track. A clumsy title offset by a beautiful vibraphone arpeggio that rings through the slow, oncoming darkness, in a quest to find its seemingly ‘separated at birth’ partner, Radiohead’s No Surprises.

Indeed the Radiohead connections soon become apparent. While in London, opening for the Oxford quintet on their OK Computer tour, Mark found himself unconscious in his hotel bathroom, strung out on narcotics with his legs pinned beneath him for 14 hours before he was found. The doctors tried to straighten his legs and only succeeded in inducing a heart attack that left him clinically dead for 3 minutes. Upon revival he was sent to a mental hospital for 3 months for rehabilitation. Well you would, wouldn’t you.

Sparklehorse 2006 AN Club Athens Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 35 SPARKLEHORSEThe resulting St Mary was the first song written Night Home where the pace is brought to an after the accident and he thanks the staff for almost standstill given the odd kickstart with the saving his life. A finger picked acoustic tour of the descending melody line of the chorus. You can feel hospital corridors via the various elevators as he the album starting to fade out, and you know fade longs for the sanctuary of his rural homeland. It is out is how this record will end, and it does with an achingly beautiful but uncomfortable listen. the dreamy and soft Junebug. Watching the world pass you by as the day fades, and you find yourself The following ‘So Sick of Goodbyes’ threatens to talking to the insects. A beautiful and apt ending to be funky but almost immediately descends into a a thoroughly exhausting record. more standard rock fare number that gives us the album’s first singalong chorus, quickly followed by The record is 17 songs strong and it feels like Sunshine and our first introduction to what will it. However, upon completion you feel an become a Sparklehorse staple. A beautiful melody accomplishment. An emotional battleground, of la la la la over a bedrock of misery. He does it a someone else’s battle that they have unburdened lot and it is utterly gorgeous, every. Single. Time. on you and you have been given no choice but to A stuttering end leads us into Happy Man, a song take up the struggle on their behalf. The vocals, so catchy that the story goes that the record distorted and coated in reverb throughout, are label popped champagne upon hearing it and hidden but you are left in no doubt of the songs declared that they finally had a hit single. Mr themes and emotions. Bouncing between a Linkous responded by returning to the studio and funeral pace and an Irish wake, the record upholds layering white noise and AM static all over it, thus beautiful Beatlesque melodies hidden within rendering it quite unlistenable to. Artists ladies and experimental noise and distortion while the eyes of gentlemen, they are quite the refined beast. mortality and depression are constantly hovering, just waiting for their opportunity. Sadly this was to A tender cover of Daniel Johnson’s ‘Hey Joe’ finds come in 2010 when Mark took his own life but by Mark telling Joe not to make the song any sadder then a catalogue of 6 full length players were left than it already is, Oh the irony. The beautifully for us to enter, however briefly, into his world. And named Maria’s little Elbows sings about the what a world it is, dive in head first and never look pressures of being held up to western ideas of back. beauty while sustaining a gloriously uplifting melody. The feel of Painbirds is revisited for All Gordon “Get miserable, get Sparklehorse”.

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 36 GILLIANHELL AMONG THE WELCH YEARLINGS

Has there ever been a more disturbing way to start cover pervade? The album. It’s all standard subject imagining her real father to be a famous musician, a country album than flipping the murder ballad matter in the country-folk-bluegrass tradition, which could attest for the strange, almost eerie Pretty Polly on its head and exacting brutal revenge executed faithfully in Welch’s po-faced, earnest longing in her voice, especially on I’m not on the male protagonist? Probably not, but Gillian tones. and Welch sings them po-faced and Afraid to Die, the album’s strongest track. Welch isn’t your average country star and Hell earnestly. That track has a luring, hypnotic quality to it, Among the Yearlings, twenty years young this similar to Go to Sleep, Little Baby, a Welch- summer, is the best example of her uniqueness. Welch and Rawlings insist there’s nothing old Rawlings contribution to the O Brother, Where about their music, and, as both hail from the east Art Thou? Soundtrack in 2000. Whiskey Girl and Sandwiched between her 1997 debut Revival coast, neither were steeped in country traditions Winter’s Come and Gone finish off the album in a and 2001’s Time (The Revelator), both Grammy- when growing up. But any suggestion they’re similar low-key style, and it’s this type of carefully nominated, this album has suffered from middle- pretenders would be absurd; listen to Welch sing crafted ballad that suits them best. In the former, child syndrome for too long; an overlooked and Miner’s Refrain and it’s obvious how much she Welch manages to make the seedy lives of a under-appreciated part of Welch’s output. feels this music. harking back to couple of drunks sound endlessly appealing, while The and fill the the latter ends the album on a hopeful note. That Pretty Polly rewrite, Caleb Mayer, is the most album, though those appreciative of memorable track on the album.It is also an ideal and Joni Mitchell will find much to admire here, Just over two minutes long, Winter’s Come and vehicle for showcasing the talents of Welch’s too. Gone has Welch singing to a bird outside her musical partner ; while his abrasive window who seems to be assuring her she is acoustic guitar playing bleeds all over the track, Although it’s hardly my place to disagree with finally, after the many, often dark travails the Welch sadistically narrates the tale of the title Welch’s and Rawlings’ assessment of their own record has documented, safe in the world once character’s demise. Whiskey soaked and intent music, Hell Among the Yearlings is nevertheless again. ‘Winter’s Come and Come, that little on rape, Mayer rocks up to Nellie Kane’s house in a record packed with images of times long gone. bird told me so,’ Welch signs off. It’s a cathartic the Kentucky hills. With Rawlings’ guitar backing When I think of traditional American music I moment. her up every step of the way, Kane/Welch simply think of The Scots and the English bringing ballad slits his throat with a broken bottle. All those old forms over and watching as they evolve into Adam murder ballads about men slaying their cheating, classic American ballads, of spirituals sung in no-good women? They wouldn’t cut muster on a black churches, of sharecroppers singing about Gillian Welch record. another day’s pay, their dead sweethearts and their fear of eternal damnation. Call it country or The next three tracks tell the tales of a suicidal folk or bluegrass or don’t call it anything at all, but woman, a girl fearing possession by the devil, Welch’s music has a home among these traditions and, in the beautiful My Morphine, an addict’s at the very least. lament demise – (the track doesn’t tell the tale of a lament). Darkness and fear and broken hearts An adopted child, Welch has said she grew up

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 37 When I first heard the album, my teenage self was somewhat confused, unsure as to whether I really liked it and whether I could even pass myself off as a fan of this sort of thing;I had heard very little hip hop at that time, and so it was hard to get my head round all the screaming and shouting and threats to murder people, let alone the simplicity of the thumping bass. After a couple of listens I got there though, and what carried me through those listens and gave the cassette (recorded on my ALBA double deck Cassette player with high speed ONYX dubbing) its own position in my growing collection ! of favoured hip hop, was the energy. This is music that makes you want to shout, to swear, to dance, to throw your hands (or guns if you’re American) into the air. From Bacdafucup to Phat (and all that) we can feel the feral buzz of the Bald lads as they tumble through verse after verse of violence, bravado and comedy threats: ‘Unpredictable, liable to flip my lid… My moms dropped me on my head when I was a kid. Back then I lost all my marbles, today I lost my job, So in essence, it’s Armageddon, somebody’s bound to get robbed!’ Hardcore rap is how this music was known in those days, and hardcore it certainly is. The subject matter is all smashing people’s faces in, murdering people, getting angry with people and generally fucking people up, with a little bit of fucking people also chucked in for good measure. The ‘Bacdafucup! The Onyx is here! Backdafucup! Bacdafucup!’Onyx were hard as hell and tough as leather and would promptly shoe music matches this, with a selection of dirty, heavy the bejesus out of anyone who didn’t back up at the release of their debut album exactly 25 whole years ago given half a chance. drum arrangements that one may be forgiven for In fact, their dangerousness was the main (and only) theme of this album, throughout which the sweary, angry and most notably referring to as a bit ‘samey’ after a while. Onyx also bald group of young men yell escalating expletives and threats at their listeners for a whole 15 tracks. How Bacdafucup got past do a lot of shouting: shouting choruses, shouting censors and onto the shelves is something of a mystery, what with tracks listed on the back of the CD case such as Bichasniguz, verses, shouting skits, and probably shouting in Bust Dat Ass, Da Bounca Nigga and, my personal favourite,Blac Vagina Finda, so one can only conclude that the line was taken that their day to day lives, too, if their manic personae swears spelt incorrectly didn’t count, and that this group of unknowns were unlikely to cause much of a stir. are to be taken at face value. If the CD case itself had not put off anyone even a little unsure about listening to this sort of thing, then the first track would But this had all been done by then! I hear you cry. most likely sort them out: we are repeatedly told to move back and back the fuck up to the sound of a repeated siren and a dull NWA! Public Enemy! What’s the point in Onyx beat. Make it past this, however, and you are in for something of a treat. Bichasnigguz, the first real track, is a high-tempo, gritty, after these? The point is that while rappers that rip-roaring 90s rap classic, with lyrics ranging from the absurd (‘Bichasniguz I’m a had to pull ya skirt up!’) to the menacing and came before Onyx had a point to make, while memorable: ‘My name is , I’m the nigga in ya nightmare’. Onyx introduce themselves individually here in classic hip they threatened to fuck up the government or hop style, and almost immediately blend into one with the exception of this grubby appendaged young man. Sticky Fingaz’s name Ice Cube or whatever, they always had a reason, itself is a talking point in fact: is he called so in the classic, old fashioned sense of he’s a bit of a thief, or because he spends so a motive, a sense of righteous anger. Onyx didn’t; much time putting his fingers where directed to by his aforementioned friend Jack? Although Google may tell you it’s the former, there’s no establishment they’re angry with, no it’s hard not to suspect otherwise. Regardless, there are an energy and a growl and a conviction in his tones that grab you by the specific rapper with whom they have beef; in all balls and make you consider actually backing the fuck up in the privacy of your own sitting room. that album they say very little about anything at all, mostly because they are playing at these

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 38 characters- they know they’re not real and said minimalist, backed all the way through by a sample so in an interview years later. While the music that brings in a little bit of melody, which, dare seems heavy then, it isn’t heavy in terms of actual I say it, makes it a little better then the rest of content: everything is made up, throwaway, daft, the album. Slam, the group’s platinum ‘breakout not to be taken at face value… which is probably single’ that reached number four on the billboard why it got away without attracting the controversy charts, is still played in the NBA today, and most that Chuck D continually courted. people have heard it even if they don’t know what it is. Interestingly, inspiration for this track came Songs like Atak of the Bal-Hedz are enjoyable for from Nirvana’s Smells like Teen Spirit, and you can just this reason: they’re a bit silly, but they’re also certainly see some of the influence in the video for hyped, full of intensity and absolutely relentless- Slam, which is full of black kids moshing and crowd you don’t have to have an opinion about anything surfing. (other than baldness) to feel down with this shit and have a shout and a head bang and a bit of a It is easy to pass Bacdafucup off as a bit of a joke, a dance along. Don’t have a bald head? Fine, get self-indulgent comic rant from a group of over-the- on your mad face and join the Mad Face Invasion, top, paper-thin caricatures of angry rappers, and Bust an ass, or go on a hunt with Jack. Most of the in a way that’s what it is. However, when you look songs are fairly similar: a heavy beat, a minimal bit again at where the album falls in the history of of sampling, some neat scratching, and a catchy hip-hop you have to appreciate it for its influence, hook. The aforementioned Bitchasniguz even if you find all the heavy drum beats and stands out, as does Stik ‘N’ yelling a bit exhausting and monotonous after a Move, because it’s a while. The Wu are generally credited with creating little less heavy, a new direction for hip-hop as it began to stagnate a little less at the opposing poles of the bravado of N.W.A style gangster rap and the comparatively lo-fi styles of groups like ATCQ and De La Soul, and indeed it is hard to argue otherwise, considering the style of rap that dominated the genre for at least the next 20 years, but did Onyx do it first? The answer to that is no, no they certainly didn’t: their beats are nowhere near as defined and their lyrics simply laughable in this company. But they did do part of it: they created an original, hugely popular, hard-core, gritty minimalist-beat record, and they did it while blaspheming and being revolting for no specific reason at all (and I don’t a bit less Throw YaGunz? Maybe, but it certainly wouldn’t have made the impact it did, hip hop need to tell you how many would likely have been quite a lot worse off for it,and it wouldn’t still seem like such a wondrous rap groups have emulated remedy to all that R&B infused crap that’s been dominating the air waves for almost as long as I this over the years that can remember. Pity they couldn’t do more; as Sticky Fingaz himself observes on 2014’s comeback followed). album, Wakedafucup: Would the album have ‘Hip-hop started on the block; done a little better if it had been a bit less I fell asleep at the wheel, the shit crashed into Pop.’ heavy? A bit more Stik ‘N’ Move and Roland Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 39 5) Nina Simone Sinnerman oh, sinnerman, where you gonna run to? 4) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds TOP 5 RECORDS We Came Along This Road I left by the backdoor, with my wife’s lover’s OPENING LINES smoking gun 3) and Olivers Army Don’t start me talking, I could talk all night 2) Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Picture yourself in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies 1) Visions of Johanna Ain’t it just like the night to play tricks when you’re tryna be so quieeeettt? Adam 5) Radiohead Spinning plates 1) L.Cohen The Future While you make pretty speeches, im being Give me back my broken night,my mirrored cut to shreds room,my secret life,its lonely here there is 5) Adam Green Friends of mine 4) Pearl Jam Alive noone left to torture.

Now we live on borrowed time but this headshots ‘Son,’ she said, ‘have I got a little story 2) Gloria pretty good. for you’ Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine 4) Public Enemy Bring the noise 3) REM New Test Leper 3) Black Wings I can’t say that I love Jesus, that would Bass! How low can you go? Death row, what a Take an eye for an eye,a tooth for a tooth,just brother know be a hollow claim. 3) Libertines Can’t stand me now 2) Bob Dylan Positively 4th street like they say in the Bible an ending fitting for the start you twist and tore our You’ve got a lot of nerve to say you are 4) Rolling Stones Sympathy for the devil love apart Please allow me to introduce myself, Im a man 2) Tribe called quest Excursions my friend 1) Faith no More RV of wealth and taste. Back in the days when I was a teenager before I had Backside melts into a sofa status and before I had a pager. 5) Swans Stay here 1) The Beatles Through the bedroom window My world, my TV, and my food Be strong,be hard,resist temptation,stick your She came in through he bathroom window protected Gordon hand in your eye. by a silver spoon. Tassos Roland Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 40 SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE

To celebrate the frst issue of beautful noise we have decided to all pick a record from the year that MTV began in Europe 1981

As a result it is hardly a vintage year but we all selected 3 from the year 1981. Black Uhuru’s Red,

Elvis Costello’s Trust and Adam and the Ant’s Prince Charming. John Tilantz, Bobby Dee and Izzy Smith sit down and discuss these gems from the past. So how did we get on?

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 41 Bobby: Black Uhuru. Red, what do we think? John: Hmmmmm Izzy: It was your choice Bobby The first track is amazing Izzy Yes it is Bobby ‘The youth of Eglinton’ or whatever, I never listen to reggae but this track tells me I should Izzy my experience of reggae is and Izzy Stradlin’s first record with the Ju Ju hounds Bobby have you never heard of someone called bob Marley? Izzy oh yeah, bits of him, there is no redemption song on this record however John I liked the first few tracks very good start, good rhythm and upbeat and lots going on Izzy To be fair, it doesn’t sound like it was made in 1981. I think it would have been great back then. Better than UB40 surely? John Not as catchy as UB40 Bobby Oh god hate that group John Oh i like UB40, best band out of Birmingham Bobby youth of Eglinton and spongi reggae were both great but gets a bit samey after that though. Same beats on a lot of tracks really, not much variation. Izzy Yeah it does, half way through it becomes one song, like a Neil Young record. Bobby I lost my way a bit in the middle of the record. Drowning in a sea of reggae. Though ‘puff she puff’ was a high point Izzy I liked that song John Yeah, similar, it was the ‘Brimstone’ track that did it for me Bobby Nice vocals on this album too. Izzy Yeah the vocals are great but the music becomes like karaoke at some point Bobby True Izzy Probably because none of us know what exactly we are listening to. Bobby Bit like they have one rhythm that they just hang lyrics on. Izzy The reggae rhythm? Bobby Er, yeah the reggae rhythm I guess John Yeah that’s what reggae tends to be like Bobby. Its a bit like garage- all about one beat But its better than garage Bobby I’m guessing it all sounds great with the right kind of tobacco. A bit of California orange to accompany this

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 42 record might have improved it, you’re right. Izzy Whats garage? White stripes or Burial? Bobby Its where you park the car John Yeah i love the odd reggae song, but to listen to a whole album and enjoy it all you have to be in the right frame of mind. Or its pretty good as background to chill to when you got a few mates over or something Bobby Reggae can’t just have one rhythm surely! That’s ludicrous John No, it tends to be fairly similar though John Basically, if this album had been 4 tracks long it would be banging. Bobby Yeah this would have been a storming E.P Izzy WE ARE THE SLAAAAAVES!!!!!!!, I like this one, Rockstone Bobby Puff she puff is a really good song though, but I do just like saying that as well for some reason. I think i like all the tracks on the album individually, i just get a bit reggaed out when i listen to them all in a row. Bobby Best thing about this album is the vocals and the laid back feel to it all, which isn’t unusual for reggae but was unusual for me as a listener. Worst thing was the lack of variety in the songs as the album progressed John On the way to work it put me into a bit of a trance Izzy Thats pretty spot on Bobby John I agree with Bobby, for once. Izzy Scores? A 6 from me, enjoyable, a bit middle of the road but i wont be reaching for it very often. They aren’t going to replace my musical youth collection anytime soon. Bobby For me, it’s a (perhaps slightly generous) 7 The good tracks really bump up the score John Yeah I’ll go for 6. Bobby 19 in total then 19

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 43 John My remarks on Costello will be brief, and moderately offensive Bobby Okay well I’m a huge fan of Elvis Costello, but this album isn’t his best by a long way Bobby It’s like an Elvis Costello album without the hits John I fucking hated every minute of it, possibly my worst kind of music. Izzy It is exactly what i thought it would sound like, a cool guy gone 80’s. It wasn’t horrible but it was quite bland and forgettable Bobby Not sure what happened between 1978 () and 1981. But a lot of this is forgettable. John I’m not sure i really know who he is, or didn’t before this. Now I know. Bobby No, you don’t know. Its just this album is a poor introduction. Izzy No, he wrote some incredible stuff, just not on this record John I just found it all dull and backgroundy and.....The sort of thing you hear.... I don’t know where you’d hear it, somewhere bad. Bobby Go listen to ‘Watching the Detectives’, ‘Olivers Army,’ ‘Alison’. Outstanding. Amazing lyrics. I have to say though, I loved a lot of the lyrics on this album too. He sounds cool as fuck whatever he’s singing I think John Throughout, nothing spoke to me, there was not a moment of emotion, no lyrics or mu musical moments that had any real effect on me. Izzy The record kind of comes alive with ‘You’ll Never Be A Man’ and then goes back to sleep until ‘Shot With His Own Gun’, and i really liked the closer, ‘In His Sisters Clothes’ John Apart from that fucking song about getting shot with your own gun. Good god what the fuck was that? Horrendous over the top cheesy musical style whining. Izzy I liked that one John Its the worst song in the world Izzy, you liked the worst song in the world. How does that feel? Bobby Yeah ‘Sisters Clothes’ is a good one. ‘Shot With Own Gun’ was probably the best, maybe with the first song. Can’t remember what it’s called now John Oh my god! Seriously!?????? Izzy Probably because the solo piano was a nice contrast to the bland Tom Petty type production of the rest of the record. John I am not joking when i say its one of the worst songs I’ve ever listened to Izzy What? Its Broadway! Bobby ‘Clubland’ is a track, Great song, Nice lyrics, ‘You’ll never be a man’ is great to be fair Izzy Yep, the rest is quite forgettable. Just not very good songs. Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 44 John Seriously, he just tries too hard on it, its embarrassing. I think he’s the least cool person in the world. John Shortly followed by Bobby for nominating it and Izzy for liking some of it Bobby Generally though, this record was probably a bit of a misstep for him, after a run of great records at the very beginning of his career. I think this was his last record with the attractions. Shall we score this album? John Hmmm, lets have a think...... Is there anything i like about it? Does it contain one of the worst songs ever? Would i listen to it out of choice ever again? No. Sorry to be so rude about your album Bobby, but I hated it. I’m trying to think of a reason to give it a 2.but there isn’t one. I’m scoring this album 1. Bobby It’s a letdown for an Elvis Costello album, but it does still have his cool lyrics and good singing voice, and a bit of the Costello swagger. I’d still listen to it again sometime. A lot of people in the 1980s made careers out of being a lot worse than this album. It’s a 6 from me. Izzy A 6 from me also, its just utterly inoffensive, it sounds 80’s and does its best to hide a couple of good songs which do eventually shine through Bobby So trust by Elvis Costello scores 13

Contents 13 Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 45 Bobby , Prince charming. Never listened to him before this John I thought this was going to be fucking dreadful Bobby Look at that album cover Izzy New romantics innit John But i actually thought I’d like Costello Izzy This starts out so freaking good. The first 2 songs are just wonderful Bobby The second song about Picasso is great. The first track scorpions is fucking horrible. It sounds like the intro music for a 70s cop show Izzy Starsky and Hutch, whats not to love? John Ooh i like the first track, its a bit Austin Powers or some thing. John I was very surprised by how much i liked the whole thing to be honest. Izzy It all starts to go a bit wrong with 5 guns west Bobby Prince charming, the song, is strangely appealing, very addictive and one of only two songs I knew before listening. I liked 5 guns West! John That was one of my favourites i love the silliness. Not enough silliness in music. They don’t take themselves seriously and theres some imagination and its quite original lyrically, if a bit daft. Bobby The main problem I have here is that the lyrics leave me cold a lot of the time. Silliness is fine but I’m often just not that interested in what he’s singing. Izzy Its just a bit cartoon westerny. Probably fits the record to be fair John Yeah i liked the westerny one as well. Very cool. Do we have to talk about the ? Because that was a fucking car crash Bobby Ant Rap John Its 1981, there’s no real famous rap around, no real albums as such, and he decides to try out this ‘rapping fad’. and he can’t fucking do it and its all awful

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 46 Bobby Not great Izzy Haha Bobby That voodoo is very good musically, bit like the Picasso one. John Ooooh oooh! Izzy To be fair after stand and deliver the whole record falls apart John ‘Prince Charming’ is a bit shit as well Bobby I don’t like ‘Stand and Deliver’ Izzy I like ‘Stand and Deliver’. The ‘Halt’ reminds me of my favourite moment 19.5 in any pop music which is the ‘ah’ in Aha’s ‘I’ve been losing you’ Bobby Love ‘Prince Charming’, i liked these days. ‘Mohawk ‘ a lot John Johnny Depp is an improvement Izzy ‘Mohawk’ wold have been OK if they What was the song about being a big didn’t shout MOHAWK during it brave man or something? It made me the album, the daftness and the fun, John Oh i like the fact they shout Mohawk laugh. and think it would have been Izzy S.E.X is quite a nice closer actually. Izzy ‘5 guns west’ shit without the silliness. A lot more Bobby Yeah that’s a good song. If this is New John Oh is it? Thought it was something colourful and human than bloody Romantics though, it’s not a genre I’ll else. Anyway, good stuff. Costello. I liked a few of the be investigating further. Izzy ready to score it? tracks, thought some were dreadful, John I think New Romantics was more Bobby Okay. This album had some very but I’m glad I’ve heard it and was about how they dress and stuff enjoyable tracks on it, and also pleasantly surprised over all. I can’t Bobby Oh I see. some really annoying ones. Musically give it 7 because its still not that good, John I actually take back my thing about it often sounds really nice, but I want to give it more Costello being the least cool but then Adam Ant comes in than red because i preferred it, so 6.5 person having thought about it and spoils it for me with all his Bobby 19.5 and looked at some images of these nonsense. Can’t get into it that much Izzy a good score twats no matter how hard I try. I’m giving it Bobby Adam Ant appears to have carried the Bobby Is Adam Ant still alive? 6. day John Also, like, its pretty crap for the ants. Izzy i found it more enjoyable than the John making this week’s Not only are they tagged onto his other two, a couple of real highlights, winner and official best album of 1981 name, but they’re also called ants and Picasso is a phenomenal piece of pop for ever more! Who would have its also his surname. How harsh can music, it lags a bit in the middle but a thought it? you get? very solid 7 from me. Bobby #shockedandstunned Izzy Yeah, he looks like Johnny Depp John well I enjoyed the whole idea of

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 47 Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 48 CONTRIBUTIONSCONTRIBUTIONS Roland Martin Adam Wileman Gordon Haswell Tasos Petropoulos Beautiful Noise is designed by gordonhaswellgraphics John Tilantz Thurston MoorePORTFOLIO at Fuz club Athens Soft Moon at the Fuzz Club Athens FRONT COVER: Beautiful Noise : Gordon Haswell Bobby Dee GodSpeed at Fuzz Club Athens Izzy SmithDrew McDowell at teh Fuzz Club Athens Unsane at Fuz Club Athens Ben Frost at Fuzz Club, Athens PHOTOS Afformance at Fuzz Club Athens Glass Rebel at Temple, Athens Stelios Magalios III at Galatiko Xorio p.2 reheasal studio Kasabian at Ejekt Festival p.3 Busker in Cambridge, England Lazy Man Load at AN Club, Athens p.5 Pearl Jam 02 Arena, London Black Hat Bones at Let it Beer Festival p.18 Temple Bar Athens Kraftwerk at TeaKwon Do arena Athens p.22 / 23 Sparklehorse Live at the AN Club in Athens Greece p.24 Sigur Ros Live at the Civil Hall, Wolverhampton, England p.25 Technics T500 p.29 Black Uhuru Red album cover by Denis & Bruno (photo by Jonnie Black) p.31/32 Elvis Costello Trust album Cover by p.33/34 Adam & the Ants Prince Charming Album Cover by Allan Ballard / Adam Ant

Contact: [email protected] all photos by gordonhaswellgraphics.com

Contents Beautiful Noise. www.gordonhaswell.com 49