This is Saturday’s Mezefest gig! You should go. Only last night one Joy Collective writer described Fuzz Against Junk as a Beefheartian nightmare. I’m paraphrasing there. And assuming it’s a compliment. Come to this if you like noisy, excellent music, and check www.mezefestival.co.uk for the other, rather good bands playing over the course of October.
FUZZ AGAINST JUNK
Fuzz Against Junk formed in Summer 2002 by Billy and Ian (tuned to C , jamming on double bass and 12 string acoustic and ripping off riffs from favourite records) to play a gig at Mark Hymas / St Piran’s Limelight nights at The King Charles off Stokes Croft in Bristol.
Steve was asked to come along to provide percussion on the day of the gig – WE REALLY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS GOING TO SOUND LIKE, BUT THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE BAND. The place was so small Billy had to move his bass everytime a punter wanted to come through the door !. Seemed to go down well. It was meant to be a one-off and nothing more was planned, but Fat Paul was at the first gig, dug it, and a few months later they played at his Espionage night on the Thekla , adding Paul on guitar / effects.
More gigs followed around Bristol, with a more electronic element to the sound appearing, and most of the first album was recorded in a day ‘live’at The Cube Cinema, yards from their debut gig. Adding Keith ‘Keth’ Bailey on sax and percussion some more recordings at State of The Art finished the album off and it was the debut release on Geoff Barrow’s Invada label.
Another album was recorded at the Cube when the band ‘….looking like cartoon beatniks…..’ backed the Blue Aeroplanes Gerard Langley for the second part of his ‘Lit’ series of limited edition CD’s – now long out of print. Aaron on sax and flute appeared at this time, as did Stuart, playing Hurdy-Gurdy, Northumbrian pipes and trombone. Swedish Radio’s legendary DJ Haken Persson picked up on the band early on and supported them, played tracks on his groundbreaking show.
The band played a few more gigs, with various friends appearing on stage and stretching the sound further. The first gig with legendary ex-Can vocalist Damo Suzuki happened at a special Espionage night on the Thekla in Autumn 2003, whilst a second gig with Damo arranged by John Stapleton happened at Fiddlers in March 2004. Their first appearance at Ashton Court Festival in the Jazz Big Top was an exciting experience for all involved. The fuzzers really pulled it out the bag and won some well deserved praise from fans and sceptical onlookers alike!More studio recordings followed for the second album and more gigs with Oneida, Circle and Comets On Fire followed, as well as an all acoustic gig at the wonderful St Georges Hall in Bristol – ‘one of the finest acoustic chambers in Europe’ – alongside fellow Invada artists Gonga and Lucky Luke in Summer 2004.
Radio sessions in 2004 have included Star FM’s Bristol Uncovered, Resonance 104 FM and Radio Caroline, and a 3 track, vinyl only limited edition single, the controversial Trenchfoot/Dugout (with hand made labels by the band) was issued as a split release by Rocket / Invada in late 2004. More recordings saw the appearance of vocalist Maria, as a version of ‘Ballad Of The Hip Death Goddess’ written by psychedelic nobodies Ultimate Spinach was recorded for release on John Stapleton’s new record label, which was released back in august 2007. 2007 was finished with 2 monumental gigs at the ALL TOMORROWS PARTIES festival in Butlins, Minehead in december. Curated by fellow Bristolians PORTISHEAD, the band opened the festival with a storming set of there own on the Friday and was then consequently asked to back the legendary DAMO SUZUKI again on the sunday with Kid Millions from ONEIDA on second drum kit and Adrian Utley from Portishead on 3rd guitar…the kids minds were fried…job done! 2008 begins with the release of Fuzz Against Junk’s brand new long player “NETTI NETTI” on Febuary 4th through INVADA RECORDS. More madness is sure to come so keep your ears to the floor kids…coz it’s going to be a muvver!!!
SCIENCE BASTARD
With a name like Science Bastard and a track titled ‘Cunt’ the Welsh contrarians are clearly not aiming for the mass market! But it’s a perfect name for a band that seamlessly blends experimental math rock (Science) with a punk attitude (Bastard) to create their own unique style of progressive punk” – The Devil Has The Best Tuna
ZAIL
Zail. A drum & guitar duo from deepest darkest Gloucestershire, Raised on a diet of Shellac & Kyuss and disciplined with the rhythm and structure of Garage, Jungle & Hip Hop,
“Drummer. Guitarist. Although I swear I could here a cello somewhere. And bass. Not sure how they do this but their 2 man post-rock was fucking brilliant” – The Joy Collective
HYSTERICAL INJURY
The Hysterical Injury are a noise-pop duo comprising of Drums, Bass and Voice. They formed in 2007 as a guitar, bass, drum three piece from an internet conversation and a hatful of bedroom demos. They became a duo in September 2008 where they developed a stripped down raw sound. Lee plays menacing, thundering drums to Annie’s tapping slapping, 4-to-the-floor bass lines overlayed with sweet pop and feisty riot grrrl vocals.
Dj’s giving them a spin are Steve Lamacq (Radio 1, 6 Music) Bethan Elfyn (Radio 1, BBC Radio Wales), Tom Robinson (6 Music), Adam Walton (BBC Radio Wales), Gary Smith (BBC Bristol Introducing), Church of Girl(US), Woody Radio(Canada), Small Town America – Public Service Broadcast, Icast – Best of Myspace, Resonance 104 FM, to name a few…
The band were recently chosen and featured on the much coveted unsigned slot on BBC6 music’s Steve Lamacq show and have just been given the much respected position of June 09’s ‘radio star’ on the Church of Girl Radio Station in the US.
They have just self released their second EP ‘Our Lives Are A Futuristic Nightmare’ which is the first of the duo recordings. The Artwork and name inspired by the work of artist Ben Garrod.
“A great rhythmically thrashing, pop racket!” – Steve Lamacq (BBC Radio1)
”My favourite band this week! Catch their primal howl!” – Bethan Elfyn (BBC Radio1 Introducing)
“…with pavement slabs of distorted bass being thrashed into rhythm by tinnitus-drums, the overall result is a melodic punch both intoxicating and enjoyable. A magnificent triumph” – Play Music Pick Up magazine – May 2009
“To craft a skin peeling vibrant alchemy of cacophony and detuned angulated oblivion…the incessant back beats pummelling away at your head space turning the grey matter to a jelly like substance, the fraying and fractured angular fuzz drills ad-hoc and disruptive needling away with a sublime out of focus disquiet beneath it all the would be a pristine bubblegum pop interior is scarred, maimed and pulled to pieces thread by thread by the fraught surface austerity. ’FAD’ stands head and shoulders above all on the set and a formidable set it is, a raging titan of frantic and frenetic despairing disharmony finitely dipped in a gloom tinged warring intro that at 2.30 in accelerates stunningly through the gears into a seismic cacophonic squall” – Mark Barton, Losing Today
Co-promoted by Sharp Noodle. Plus Switch DJs and DJ Graham The Bear
for full into regarding the month festival in association with The Joy Collective, see http://www.mezefestival.co.uk
