Day For Airstrikes and Hail Brethren - House Show - 24/05/08

This is gonna be rammed, so it is very important that you let me know if you're going to be coming, and ask me if it's okay to bring friends etc. It's going to be for me and Ian (from DFA)'s birthdays, which are actually the week before but some people are going to be lucky enough to be at All Tomorrow's Parties, and Mike (from HB)'s birthday, which is actually on this day. Since space is extremely limited in my basement, please don't just be turning up on the day. I can't emphasise that enough.

Anyway, Day For Airstrikes might even have their new album out in time for this, which I have the privelage of releasing on LP. If it's ready, it's gonna be the best birthday present ever! All the new songs I've been hearing are really stupidly brilliant, with all the usual post-rock elements but with some really cheeky Yes style moments thrown in. I met someone at a house party a couple of weeks ago who was really surprised to find out they were playing at my house, because he thought they were a pretty well known band after downloading Secret Whale and liking it so much, and that's their first EP! It's only gotten better since then, and they should be as famous as he thought they were, but alas they aren't. Yet.

Hail Brethren were formed with a huge amount of influence from one of my favourite bands in the world, End Of A Year, and they're not too far off their style. Think Rites Of Spring era emo. They just recorded their debut album a few days ago, and from what I've heard on the myspace it's going to be an absolutely crucial release. I actually can't wait to see them. They're current and ex-Run Like Hell; Anxiety Attack; Calculon; Hammers; Dreams Are Free, Motherfucker!; Cash For Your Stories and much much more.

There's a chance there'll be another band playing but I need to work out times and stuff. It'll probably start fairly early so it can finish early and hopefully not cause any disturbance to neighbours and stuff. I'll be going round asking for donations for the bands, please be generous!

Grinding Halt (NL), The Leif Ericsson, The Freezing Fog and Volition - 28/04/08

I'll get a flyer up here as soon as I've done one. I want to get one done before the Manatees gig, but it depends if I have a decent idea for one and enough time to get it done.

Grinding Halt are ex-Shikari and The Last Mile, two of the greatest bands to come out of the Netherlands this decade, so I'm extremely happy to be having them play in little old Lancaster. They're not just a mix of those two bands though, they're something else entirely. Well, not entirely, but they're not just re-hashing the same riffs and rhythms they've already given us. Sure, they have fast bits as you'd expect, but they also take it down to some slow, brooding, heavy bits too. In short, these guys are gonna be incredible. I never got to see Shikari but from what I've heard, their live shows were pretty frenetic, let's hope they've brought that with them too.

The Leif Ericsson, I have to admit, aren't my usual bag. Gruff punk just doesn't grip me in the same way it seems to get a lot of people. However, when The Leif Ericsson sent me their album asking if I could get them on a gig at some point, I gave it a listen and something struck me. It took a couple of songs, but I really started to like it. I haven't managed to get into anything else from the genre before or since, which is a marker for just how good these guys are.

The Freezing Fog seem to be well liked round here so I won't waste too much of your time describing them. They're ex-Beecher, but that's not really important, they sound nothing like them and they're carving their own path, shrouded in a mysterious mist. It's prog rock, and it's awesome. They have a split with Manatees coming out at some point soon too, on Roadkill Records.

Volition are "doom from the other side of the bay" as I called them last time I put them on here, about a year and a half ago. It's been way too long, but they're finally going to be playing here again. They have an album out now on Total Rust, and although I've been super-slack and not actually got myself a copy of it yet, the stuff I've heard is fucking heavy. Make sure you arrive in time to see them!

Doors are at 8, so don't be late. These bands all have fairly long sets so it'll definitely be kicking off not long after that. Usual price: four quid in.

Manatees, Flatlands, Montana and Carraway - 25/03/08

Unfortunately, Burnst have realised that they can't actually play this, but it still looks set to be pretty exciting anyway. I'll be trying to get Burnst back at the soonest possible opportunity so hopefully that won't be too long. 

Manatees were formed from the broken remains of old Lancaster favourites Second To Last, but they've taken the sound of their later work there and run with it. They've run quite a long way, they're getting noticed and playing all over the country to bigger and bigger crowds. And what's more, they really deserve the acclaim they're getting, and the Level Plane release of their album in the US. They create soundscapes that are simultaneously ambient and powerful, with some truly fierce vocals to boot, especially on the EP they recorded with the hulk-like Eugene Robinson of Oxbow and UFC fame.

Flatlands were last seen round these parts bringing the house down in a dingy basement a couple of years ago, accompanied by Red Stars Parade and Naked Shit. They were "pagan, like Neurosis" according to Rob Holden, who happened to be brandishing a tree at the time. Anyway, they're coming back, and this time they'll be playing somewhere with a bit more room to maneuver.

Montana played here a few times back in the days when there'd be amazing gigs about once a fortnight if not more often. I remember being really into it, but not much more than that. I've got a CD lying around somewhere that I should definitely make an effort to dig out before next week. They play something lying somewhere between post-hardcore and emo/screamo/whatever, a good description i've seen on a flyer or two being "like a hardcore Slint."

Carraway are comprised of ex-members of pretty much every band ever; the list is long, but it includes The Legacy, Funeral Diner and Get Stuffed. Emo used to describe a pretty good genre of music, you know? And that's exactly what these guys do, harking back to the early nineties style. So if that's what floats your boat, or if you want to find out about a genre that doesn't actually have it's roots in floppy hairstyles as you may have thought, get down early and see them. You really won't be disappointed.

The doors are gonna be at 8, but why not get down a bit earlier, enjoy a pint beforehand, and make sure you get as much value for money as possible? It's only four bells, so it's not like it's gonna be bad value even if you only catch the last band, but it'll definitely be worth your time to see the other bands.