Top barn-burning folk-punk ahoy! VIALKA, returning for a third Lesson #1 show, are French by birth and location but global in sensibility and musical outlook. Want glib comparisons? Try the borderless gypsy folk of A Hawk And A Hacksaw, fiercely tight rhythms and agit-punk DIY spirit of The Ex and, on latest album La Poursuite de l’Excellence a spareness and lyrical intensity reminiscent of Wildbirds & Peacedrums. Above all, they’re massively good fun, look ace and may even dance for you. Or force you to dance. Or both.
Both next week’s ‘local’ dates offer finely chosen support, too. Bristol’s own BOXCAR ALDOUS HUXLEY do folk shanties and eerie circus clanging on all manner of unwieldy folk instruments; lo-fi recordings on their Myspace suggest the Decemberists playing along to Yann Tiersen soundtracks in the brig of a ghost ship. Better still, the mighty Lesson #1 team Vialka up perfectly with THREATMANTICS‘ windmilling, viola-driven folk-punk and the lurching, winking majesty of slovenly curs BRANDYMAN. They say it’s their penultimate gig, and it seems they mean it this time. Clamouring vocals, lopsided harmonies and witty, perceptive storytelling; sounds like an ideal night out.
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VIALKA
BOXCAR ALDOUS HUXLEY
Tuesday, 1st March 2011
The Croft, 117-119 Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3RW
Doors 20:00
£6.00 adv
http://www.myspace.com/boxcaraldoushuxleyband
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VIALKA
THREATMANTICS
BRANDYMAN
Wednesday, 2nd March 2011
Buffalo Bar, 11 Windsor Place, Cardiff CF10 3BY
7.30 – 10.30pm
£5.00 doors
The thoroughly welcome return to South Wales of this multi-discipline French duo, who we put on back in the dark ages of 2005 and 2006. A lady, Marylise, plays frenetic drums; a gentleman, Eric, kicks out border-traversing punk rock guitar jams. There are jazzy math-rock bits, Eastern European turbofolk bits, some gypsy dancing (if yer lucky – seen ’em do it before) and Chinese-styled melodies from their time spent there. They are just TONS OF FUN. For fans of THE EX, SECRET CHIEFS 3, A HAWK AND A HACKSAW, MINUTEMEN, SUN CITY GIRLS… http://vialka.com/
THREATMANTICS
It’s said by some people that bilinguals are just greedy, but that’s totally unfair on the Threatmantics, a band from Cardiff who sing in English and sometimes Welsh, and have done so since the middle of last decade. They have releases on the DOUBLE SIX, CIWDOD and AM labels and you can probably buy them somewhere. They tell great stories through the medium of punky guitar and screechy violin, like The Velvet Underground and dEUS and Gorky’s did. They also now feature Graf from GINDRINKER and many other bands. http://www.myspace.com/threatmantics
BRANDYMAN
About Brandyman
Biography
Retired early had triple bypass enjoying life to the full
Location
Orkney Islands
Interests
Touring and photography
Occupation
Retired
http://brandyman.bandcamp.com/
http://lessonnumberone.blogspot.com/
