Headsound: Kaninchen - Broke Up

Duo Craig Taylor-Broad and Chris Trevena recorded their latest EP in warehouses and public toilets to accent the perfect amount of natural reverb to fit a single vocal part.
The five intertwined tracks blend poetic monologues, movie dialogue with atmospheric instrumental arrangements.
The duo are from Cornwall but their sound draws on Scottish influences Belle and Sebastian, Arab Strap, Mogwai and Boards of Canada.

Rob Auton and Brighton Poetry Society

I'm still getting to know the Brighton spoken word scene but there are a couple events coming up in the next week.

On Saturday there's a chance to witness the surreal humour of yellow loving, blue sky thinking Rob Auton as he performs The Sky Show upstairs at the Three and Ten on Steine Street. It starts at 6pm and tickets are available here.

On Monday Brighton Poetry Society host an open mic event at The Victory Inn, Duke Street from 8pm. Entry by donation. More info here.

If you know of any other music or spoken word events in Brighton that deserve a plug get in touch.

Headsound: Cloneliness - Sights

Osaka based Canadian-French artist and musician Charles-Eric Billard has regularly featured on Headstand since the beginning in various guises. His improvisations on found and homemade instruments intrigue with skewed sounds and mesmerising rhythms.

His latest pieces released under solo monika Cloneliness are smoother and more melodic. Acoustic and electronic elements blend into finely crafted performances though still with a refreshing touch of spontaneity. Enjoy the concise 'Sights' then delve deeper into his recordings on Soundcloud.

Show: 20.10.13 with Tom Sissons

This show features an interview and poetry with Tom Sissons. At 18 this Brighton based poet has already published his first pamphlet, reached the national finals of Hammer and Tongue Poetry Slam and done a national tour with Apples and Snakes.

You can also hear:

The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
Melt-Banana - Infection Defective
Euros Childs - Tête à Tête
Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer - Hail The Chap
Arnaud Rodrigues - Turma Da Poiê
Chris T-T & The Hoodrats - The Bear
Tom Sissons - Poetry
Gran Kino feat Ayanda Nhlangothi, Burni Aman, Manelis, Jitsvinger - Brand New Day
Afrodita Nikolova - Thresholds
The Handsome Family - Owls
Polymath - Vertex
Isolation - Kafuka

20.10.13 with Tom Sissons by Headstand on Mixcloud

Headsound: Euros Childs - Tête à Tête

Barely a week goes by without the energetic former frontman of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci Euros Childs coming out with a new collaboration or solo project. His album Summer Special is nominated for this year's Welsh Music Prize but it's already slipping off the front page of his website The National Elf Library as the releases continue.

His latest solo album Situation Comedy is out on October 21st and this lead track Tête à Tête is classic Childs his melodic pop vocals at the fore and lyrics with characters and cultural references worthy of Dylan. The song is available for download by donation at euroschilds.co.uk.

Childs is on tour in October/November and plays Brighton on November 2nd at Sticky Mike's Frog Bar which sounds like the name of one of his bands.

Headsound: Melt-Banana - The Hive

 Set this week's Headsound as your wake up call for an adrenaline shot to start the day. Avoid it whilst driving especially on Brighton's 20mph zones.

Tokyo's Melt-Banana emerged from the Japanese noise scene in the early 90s with energy and technical prowess propelling them onto the global circuit. Twenty years on they've lost none of their energy. Their first new album in 6 years is a highly refined version of their trademark sound distilled to the core components of guitarist Agata's multi-FX wizardry and Yako's shrill jackhammer vocals.

The Hive explodes with a squall of lightning speed guitar riffs whilst Yako comes in like a sped up J-pop idol. The duo bamboozle the listener making them want to turn backflips and kick a hole in the wall.

This is not just music. It's an experience, a violent sonic massage. The Hive is a wrecking ball of a track from a bulldozer of an album.

Fetch is out now on A-zap records.

Show: 6.10.13

Another selection of music and spoken word including new music from La Femme, Holograms and Dragon Noir and a song from Euros Childs who plays the brilliantly named Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, Brighton on November 2nd.

6.10.13 by Headstand on Mixcloud

Steve Hughes: From Motorhead to Motormouth

Metalhead turned standup Steve Hughes gives us a dose of vitriol.

With long hair and dark clothes, and perfectly timed deadpan delivery metal drummer turned standup Steve Hughes is an unusual hybrid.

“Music and comedy are both languages beyond words and culture,” he says. “Music is a wonderful thing which is why it’s so disturbing that Simon Cowell’s in charge.”

Music is a gift from the Gods enabling people who don’t speak the same language to resonate on the same vibrational, emotional and cosmic field. They’ve turned it into Happy Meals!”

He’s glad to be doing comedy now though. “I don’t know why I bothered dragging a drum kit around. Too much of a pain in the arse,” he laughs. Relieved of equipment and band members he’s come a long way in his new career. All the way from Australia to Manchester, in fact. “Australia is so isolated. Nothing ever happens. There’s no one there!” He says of his home country.

He’s enjoying the buzz of the UK’s condensed population and constant gigging has established him on the national circuit. He’s been able to cross pollinate metal and comedy audiences who love his no-holds barred material.

On his current tour ‘While It’s Still Legal’ he’s exercising his right to freedom of speech while he still can. “Comedy that pokes fun at the establishment or is portrayed as controversial or offensive will be outlawed eventually,” he claims.

“Political correctness implies that somehow an ideological structure that protects against you ever being victimised is noble. I see it as a form of subjective fascism.”

Hughes doesn’t set out to offend. He just doesn’t try not to. “How arrogant would it be for me to curtail my material by staring at an audience from behind the curtain and making a subjective judgement about their moral basis?” he argues. “I stand in front of the general public most of the year and they’re enjoying it” he insists.

He extends the rant with an attack on what he calls ‘global colonialism.’ “David Cameron says, ‘I want to export gay marriage to the world.’ It’s none of your business if the Middle East have gay marriage, or Jamaica. Your country’s not perfect either.” He considers Stephen Fry’s campaign to get the Winter Olympics banned in Sochi well-meaning but hypocritical. “They had the Olympics in The UK and they illegally went to war in the Middle East. They had them in Australia and they’re one of the most racist countries to their indigenous people on Earth.”

He admits his material is not to everyone’s liking, just as not everyone likes Country music. “I tell audiences, ‘don’t boo or jeer people who leave. They’ve got their own beliefs and ideologies.”

But with several sellout shows on the tour already he must be doing something right. Whether you agree with what Hughes says or not he certainly makes an impact.

Steve Hughes is appearing at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange on October 19th.