So super-excited for this  – three smashers in one. Publicist in itself should whet anyone’s appetite for Trans Am/Weird War related fun, but the support is equally stellar. I saw Snorkel (pictured) at last year’s Venn festival and they were IMMENSE: endless waves of dubbed-out noise and heavy, heavy grooves. Like someone cloned Bass Clef five times and let them loose. And Sincabeza, who played Cardiff last year, get my stumpy thumbs up: choppy, chopped up post rock riffing with comedy between song banter in foreign. Silly foreigners. GET THERE THIS WILL BUM YOUR BRAIN

PUBLICIST

Publicist is Sebastian Thomson, drum banger of such awesome indie disco staples as Weird War and Trans Am. This new incarnation takes the shimmering sexghost of disco and pummels it into a sleek panther that leaps from shadow to shadow briefly glimpsed in the reflection of disco lights on the effervescent surface of a flute of champagne.

“On new 12” “Momma”, old pal Ian Svenonious replaces the vocoder with his trademark sermon on the flaming mount yelps, he’s the reason that The Make-Up made us bark like spazz-dogs losing all our shit in the middle of the dancefloor, why Weird War sounded like funk beamed from the darkside of a nightmare war-torn planetoid and the reason why Nation of Ulysses sounded like a wall of laser guns tumbling in on us, smoking turret-end-first. B-side “Stone Age” sees Ian hard-wired and assimilated into wobbling synth trajectories, barking a tale of funked-up cavemen through a robotic loud-speaker across an undulating sea of perspex disco and the kind of kinetic drumming that makes all the items in your room come alive and bump to the sound before spontaneously exploding like glitter bombs.”
20 Jazz Funk Greats

“Publicist began as the solo/side project of shirtless Trans Am/Weird War drummer Sebastian Thomson. He recently expanded things (including the band’s reach) by collaborating on nine tracks with longtime zany and Sassy frontman Ian Svenonius of the Make Up and, more importantly, Nation of Ulysses, etc. Judging from their “Momma”/”Stone Age” single,
if they keep it going, they’ll be specializing in talky, funky electro-disco. Take a listen to the dance-floor populating Side A.
(When I first listened I thought he was saying “Obama,” which changed things significantly.)” Stereogum

“Publicist is primarily a solo drum and electronics project conceived by Sebastian, founding member of the legendary Trans Am. He has already toured the Publicist sound both solo and with Svenonius (”one of the world’s great rock’n’roll frontmen” – Allmusic), this being Ian’s first release since the acclaimed Chain & The Gang project released earlier this year.
‘Momma’ and ‘Stone Age’ represent both sides of the Publicist coin: Momma is a throbbing cosmic number with a soaring melodic chorus sure to explode on the dancefloor. ‘Stone Age’ is a faster jump-up vocoder funk track from another planet in which Svenonius rants passionately about simpler times.” Rodaidh McDonald

“Publicist is the solo project of Sebastian Thomson, also a member of trans am, dead kids and weird war. His shows involve him playing drums in the middle of the dancefloor, not on stage…while I was trying to find words to describe the Publicist sound, I think I should just quote some of the comments from his myspace, where people are like ‘your funk is from another planet’, ‘cosmic sensation’ and ‘full on instant dance party’ and that sums it up better than I ever could. About time for some space funk and putting the ‘disco’ back into ‘discodust’ after all! … this is some of the freshest music I’ve found in ages.” -Discodust October 15 2008

Link: Official Website

SNORKEL

Snorkel are a South London-based collective whose members come from different corners of the alternative scene, bringing together the tactics of improvisation, electronica, and sound art. Propelled by the afro-kraut, jazz-dub leanings of drummer Frank Byng and the rhythms generated by cheap samplers and drum machines, Snorkel revel in the joy of psychedelic repetition throwing in elastic interruptions on guitar, analogue and digital synthesisers, trombone, live samples and vocals.

Current members include – Ben Cowen [7-Hurtz, Crackle], Frank Byng [Crackle, Spring Tides, Robert Logan], Tom Marriott [Pest], Roberto Sassi [Cardasanto, Vole] and Ralph Cumbers [AKA Bass Clef]

Glass Darkly captures the spirit of the band’s spontaneous performances and the rough-edged guerilla tactics of a band addicted to the dark side of the groove…. “the ghostly jam of Miles Davis, Sonic Youth and Lee Perry smeared… all over our asses”.

Here is some press for the ‘Glass Darkly’ album – out now on Slowfoot Records:

“…the missing link between Krautrock and Lee Scratch Perry” – Rock a Rolla

“…it sounds like electronic fusion era Miles Davis if he was arranging in the 22nd century” – experimusic.com

“…the spirit of Ege Bamyasi-era Can looms large” – The Wire

“ …this is deeply grooved and experimental stuff” –  Clash Magazine

“This debut from the South London sextet is bathed in the rhythmic propulsion of Can, spiky post-punk Moog/guitar interplay, and the dissonance of This Heat” – Uncut

Link: Official Website

Record Label: Slowfoot Records

SINCABEZA

Sincabeza is Eric Camara, David Loquier, Philippe Rey and Antoine Vo Van Tao, four veterans of the Bordeaux rock scene. The band began playing together in 2002; initially a causal side-project in between other commitments (David drums for Laetitia Sadler’s Monade), their natural perfectionism and committed work ethic saw them complete a demo by April 2003, soon followed by several high-profile support slots for Explosions in the Sky, Trans Am, Karate, and The Evens. The band have now released two album,s, played 200+ shows all over Europe, and are at the forefront of the blossoming French underground scene.

If a frame of reference is needed, Sincabeza’s music sits somewhere between the UK bands that Sincabeza have already accompanied both in France and during their two UK tours – Charlottefield, That Fucking Tank, I’m Being Good – and those at the forefront of the American independent /avant-garde rock scene of the present day: Tortoise, Shellac, Golden. Post rock, instrumental rock or noisy pop – whatever; if you ask them, Sincabeza will tell you that genre is not even an issue. The four piece simply play, allowing themselves to follow whatever deconstructed and intricate path they choose – songs full of awkward variations, elaborate arrangements, razor-sharp breaks, and – increasingly – surprisingly poppy melodies. Their music springs in every direction, but you have to see them live to better grasp their explosive and frenetic nature. The quality of musicianship is second to none, and yet the raw, physical energy of their live show threatens to lose control at any moment.
In October, Sincabeza are landing on the shores of the UK/Ireland for a fourth time to promote their forthcoming release with UK band Souvaris on Gringo Records. This new EP, available from June, will receive full national promotion from 5ive Roses Press. Evidencing their ever sharper, more succinct and more joyous approach to songwriting, the release is sure to garner them plenty of new convertees to add to the many who have already fallen in love with their live show.

Link: Official Website

PLUS: 

DJ MATT KIRK

DJ EDDIE MONSTER

For full into regarding the month festival in association with The Joy Collective, see http://www.mezefestival.co.uk