THE PINEAPPLE THIEF + Special Guests

2012-05-17T09:22:02Z

The last few years have seen The Pineapple Thief truly emerge onto a higher stage... bigger and better tours, triumphant festival slots, recording at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios, artwork designed by Storm Thorgerson and new management all give the sense of act who are destined for greater things.

Much of this is down to the band’s latest album, 2010’s Someone Here Is Missing, and the reaction it received. While this release, along with 2008’s Tightly Unwound, was many people’s introduction to the band they have actually spent the past ten years quietly building up a dedicated fan base across the globe, selling over 50,000 records and nurturing their ‘bittersweet’ progressive sound.

The Pineapple Thief are currently working on the follow-up to Someone Here Is Missing, due to be released on Kscope in autumn 2012. This album marks another leap in the band’s progression, as frontman Bruce Soord continues to mature as a songwriter and the band’s ever growing confidence and status allows them to move in bold musical directions, including the use of a 22-piece string section and a choir. Soord explains, ‘no expense has been spared regarding the production of this record but it’s still at its heart a rock record. It’s very heavy in parts and very delicate and beautiful in others.’

The Pineapple Thief are going back on the road this September with a short UK tour to celebrate the release of their forthcoming 9th studio album. The title of this album is as yet unconfirmed but we can now reveal that this will be released on Kscope in SEPTEMBER 2012!

* Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult and leave by midnight

MASSIVE 20 ACT ACOUSTIC ALL-DAYER

2012-05-16T23:40:58Z

Future Plans 10.30

Nine Lights 10.00

Hannah MacLeod 9.30

Declan Galpin 9.00

Ange Marshall 8.30

Joe Probert 8.00

Rabbit City 7.30

Connor Knapp 7.00

Louise Willott 6.30

Benita Johnson 6.00

JJ Cinnerman 5.30

Ben Cooling 5.00

Leigh Hosken 4.30

Henry Green 4.00

Chloe Hubball 3.30

Jade Sadgrove 3.00

Terry Clemmett 2.30

Lily McCauley 2.00

Molly Hickey 1.30

Christian Walsh 1.00

THE IDIOT BASTARD BAND

2012-05-16T16:48:30Z

ADE EDMONDSON (Young Ones, Comic Strip, Bottom, etc) Guitar, banjo, trumpet, mandolin, fiddle, coconuts.

NEIL INNES (Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Monty Python, Innes Book Of Records, etc)
Keyboards, guitar, ukulele.

PHILL JUPITUS (Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Q1, Radio 6 DJ ,etc) Guitar, bass, kazoo, triangle.

ROWLAND RIVRON (Raw Sex, Jools Holland Big Band, Blue Peter (aged 15), etc)
Drums, congas, bongos, rude shouting.

They play songs by The Bonzos, Jake Thackeray, Syd Barret, George Formby, They Might Be Giants, Ian Dury, Mel Brooks, The Mighty Sparrow, and many of their very own brand spanking new compositions.

During the winter of 2010/2011 they held a raucous 8 week residency at The Wilmington Arms in Clerkenwell. Famously advertised as ‘Live Rehearsals’ the shows were a heady mixture of excitement and catastrophe, at once fabulously warm, surprising and hilarious. They have done something similar this year at Monto Water Rats, where they found that actually, they weren’t half bad… so they’ve booked a few more shows and thought they might even bang a few festival performances out this summer.

DREADZONE + Special Guests

2012-05-16T14:36:15Z

Hit records, critical acclaim and a huge, devoted fan base are theirs, due in part to their utterly storming live shows and Dreadzone show no sign of slowing down as they announce a host of live dates around the UK this Autumn. The core members Greg Dread, original bassmaster Leo Williams, the unmistakable MC Spee, legendary reggae vocalist Earl 16 alongside Chris Compton on guitar and Bazil on technology make up the current Dreadzone live line up.

Electro-dub pioneers Dreadzone formed in 1993 when ex-Big Audio Dynamite drummer Greg Roberts teamed up with Tim Bran, with the duo soon joined by bassist Leo Williams and keyboardist Dan Donovan, also formerly of Big Audio Dynamite, completing the group’s first line-up. A festival favourite, Dreadzone opened the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 1994 and began to bring their unique blend of electro, dub and reggae to a wider audience, going on to chart seven Top 60 singles (including their Top 20 hit ‘Little Britain’) and are still going strong after 18 years.

Dreadzone released The Good, The Bad And The Dread - a compendium of their excellent musical story so far in 2011 and their groundbreaking 1995 album ‘Second Light’ was re-released in March 2012 by EMI as a two disc special edition featuring previously unreleased live concert material. The band are currently writing their eagerly awaited new studio album. As well as live favourites from their back catalogue the band will be showcasing new tracks at their shows this Autumn.

* Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult and leave by midnight

SECRET AFFAIR

2012-05-16T12:40:49Z

Secret Affair, consisting of Ian Page (vocals, trumpet, piano, organ), David Cairns (guitar, backing vocals), Dennis Smith (bass, backing vocals), and Seb Shelton (drums), formed in 1978. Taking their inspiration from the Jam, the group was quickly seen as one of the shining stars of the mod revival movement of the late '70s. They received their most important early exposure by supporting the Jam on small-scale tours in England and followed with several mod package tours with bands such as the Purple Hearts. Their first single, "Time for Action," was the perfect youth anthem for the time and certainly one the most memorable and successful of the movement. The band released its first album, Glory Boys, late in 1979 on their own label, I-Spy (distributed by Arista in the U.K. and Sire in the U.S.). Both the album and their subsequent singles charted, but by the time 1980's Behind Closed Doors was released, the revival was dissolving and they were too firmly rooted in the movement to change their arrogant stance. The band began to break up when drummer Seb Shelton left in 1980. They held on until 1982, releasing one more album, Business as Usual, to an uninterested public; the members went their separate ways shortly after its release.

BROUGHT INTO BEING + The Jessie Hardy Band + Glass Dog + Heroine/Hero

2012-05-15T22:12:44Z

Local Showcase Night. Band links above

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY - Only UK Headline Show!

2012-05-15T13:41:55Z

In the summer of 2010, the founding members of the pioneering underground metal band Corrosion of Conformity—bassist/vocalist Mike Dean, drummer/vocalist Reed Mullin and guitarist Woody Weatherman—gathered at Weatherman’s farm in the Virginia hill and began jamming together as a three piece for the first time since the mid-1980s. This was the classic COC lineup behind 1985’s Animosity, the album that Decibel magazine recently called “a crucial stylistic lynchpin in the bridge between metal and punk” that “irrevocably reshaped crossover’s sonic possibilities.” The trio re‐learned songs from that album and 1987’s Technocracy, but this was not just an exercise in nostalgia. They soon began writing new material. “It was a little strange at first but pretty quickly it felt like we hadn’t missed a beat,” says Dean.
By August COC had released the single “Your Tomorrow” on experimental metal label Southern Lord Records and went on to play shows from coast to coast— everything from the renowned Power of the Riff festival in Los Angeles (with a set that LA Music Blog called “incredible”) to an underground party in the band’s hometown of Raleigh, N.C. COC is currently planning a European tour (click here for dates) as well as an appearance at Maryland Deathfest in the spring and summer of 2011, with a full-length album of new material due out this fall. It’s been six years since the release of COC’s last album, In the Arms of God, with the lineup of Dean, Weatherman, longtime COC vocalist/guitarist Pepper Keenan, and guest drummer Stanton Moore of the jazz-funk band Galactic, one of the several drummers who filled in while Mullin recuperated from a drummingrelated injury. Representing the more straightforward metal sound that characterized COC’s work with Keenan beginning with 1991’s Blind, ITAOG earned critical praise, with Billboard calling it a “riff-fueled set that ranks with [the band’s] best work.”
Following that release in early 2005, COC toured the U.S. and Canada with Motorhead, one of their biggest influences, and later teamed up with Clutch for a UK tour. But after Hurricane Katrina and the catastrophic flooding of New Orleans that August, COC canceled a scheduled trip to Europe so Keenan and Moore—both New Orleans residents—could go home to help rebuild. Meanwhile, Keenan got back together with the New Orleans-based metal supergroup Down, putting out one album in 2007 with another set for a 2011 release. COC has plans to record again as a four-piece. But for now, the new “old” lineup is enjoying the return to their roots.
“Mike, Woody and I essentially learned together how to play music and cultivated our own style and sound and unspoken language,” says Mullin. “I’ve known Woody since fifth grade and Mike Dean since 1982, and re-bonding with them musically has been the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

TERROR + Brutality Will Prevail + Broken Teeth

2012-05-15T10:02:28Z

Terror is so much more than 5 individuals making music. It is an energy, a force, a refuge and a voice for all the lost and unheard. This is an attempt to put to words that force expressing the band’s dreams, visions and hopes through the underground music medium of hardcore. This is the story of TERROR, the now legendary team of vets tirelessly sharing their ambitions live on stage over 300 times a year since their start in 2003.

A decade’s worth of crafting their sound and presence has not worn down this outfit, as often happens to lessers of the genre, but rather it has merely honed their focus to a laser pinpoint. Through the maze of labels, lineups and album releases comes the current chapter in the series. KEEPERS OF THE FAITH is a worldwide call to the community, an attempt to hear back from the faithful on the front lines.

Frontman Scott Vogel sums it all up, "This is the record we put everything we have into, from the music to the lyrics, the layout to the title and to the direct hand to hand street marketing approach, we are putting it all on the line. We took all the rules of what’s going on in the industry today and washed them from our minds. We wanted to capture those early days of hardcore. This is the record we were destined to make. This is TERROR at its best and I’m so excited to get this out and start touring surrounding its energy and passion."

* Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult and leave by midnight

WILL TUN & THE WASTERS + Manners + Adam & Elvis + Ninook

2012-05-14T23:03:26Z

Local showcase night. Band links above.

12 BAND INDIE/ALT ROCK ALL-DAYER

2012-05-13T13:37:03Z

Nine Lights (10.30-11.15)

Point To the Sun (9.45-10.15)

Goodnight Lois (9.00-9.30)

The Red Moccasins (8.15-8.45)

23 Days Break (7.30-8.00)

Scout Killers (6.45-7.15)

Killer Ducks (6.00-6.45)

Moscow Magazine (5.15-5.45)

The Greasy Slicks (4.30-5.00)

Kerverter Cartzo (3.45-4.15)

Bang (3.00-3.30)

Hometown Attraction (2.15-2.45)

THE LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS + The Dirt Daubers

2012-05-11T14:51:39Z

Picture it: the rustic grind of rural America. The cacophonous crunch and wheeze of motor-driven rock songs accompany the sound of corroded farm implements awakened to service once again. The soundtrack of a time when strip malls will choke with ivy and the vestiges of overdevelopment will be razed and plowed up for acreage. The Legendary Shack Shakers confront an America that is in decay on theirseventh full-length album, AGRIDUSTRIAL.
AGRIDUSTRIAL is the statement of an American band fighting back against a society gone mad with greed and the usurpation of basic human dignities. The southern ethos is set on high, as the band explores the stories and values of those that have trod the path from our agrarian past, as testimony to those that will have to live it again. There are songs that praise Jesus (“Sin Eater”) and southern-fried provocateurs (“Dixie Iron Fist”). “Hoboes Are My Heroes” is borne from singer J.D. Wilkes’ recent experience of riding the rails to meet the men that are living on the fringes of America, as well as to absorb the rustic rhythm of that life. “Night Ride” recounts the history of Kentucky’s infamous vigilante farmer’s union, the Night Riders, who wreaked havoc on non-union tobacco farms in the early 1900’s. Time and again, the band looks at their recession-ravaged homeland with a mix of love, anger and prescience.

Even the sound of AGRIDUSTRIAL is a direct response to the present day recession in foreshadowing the looming collapse that awaits to return us back to self-sufficiency. The band went to a blacksmith forge and recorded the sounds of hammers, anvils, tongs, cranks and chains for much of the percussion on the album. Bassist Mark Robertson produced the album, doing a tasteful job of marrying the band’s hard driving rock sound with these organic flourishes. Also key to the band’s sound is the ferocious guitar work of new member Duane Denison, who is fresh off the triumphant Jesus Lizard 2009 world tour. In addition to being a member of the Legendary Shack Shakers, Duane is a member of the Jesus Lizard and Tomahawk. The Legendary Shack Shakers had already earned high praise as one of the best live acts around, with both Jello Biafra and Hank Williams III calling, J.D. Wilkes “the best front man in the world.” Robertson combines with drummer Brett Whitacre to form the Shack Shakers thundering rhythm section. It’s been said many times, but probably never so sincerely; this is a band that you must not miss live.
“The Hills Of Hell” from this album tells of two separate tales of crucifixion from Wilkes’ home state of Kentucky among other horrors. As this country, and especially those that have built it with their sweat and toil contemplate whether they are indeed being crucified on a different type of cross of gold than William Jennings Bryan contemplated, AGRIDUSTRIAL will serve as a punch in the face, a savage rejoinder during tough times, but ultimately as a welcome home to a way of life that sustained a region and a nation before it all got away from us.

PRIVATE HIRE

2012-05-10T12:52:22Z

EF Language School Talent Show

WALK OFF THE EARTH

2012-05-10T11:49:32Z

Walk Off The Earth is an unconventional, multi-talented five-piece musical phenomena that is currently taking the world by storm. Based in Burlington, Ontario (just outside of Toronto), their brilliant 5-people-playing-one-guitar interpretation of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" recently exploded on Youtube garnering well over 35 million views in under 2 weeks. The massive fan response quickly drew attention to their collection of innovative songs and videos spanning their last 5 years and generated an unprecedented flood of media interest. New fans from around the world immediately fell in love with the band's organic, independent, sincere and honest original songwriting, cover interpretations and beautifully filmed videos. For the past 5 years, the band has built a massive following of dedicated fans from around the world through their unique and heartwarming approach to songwriting, filming and constant, open interaction with everyone their music touches.

The chemistry between the members of Walk Off The Earth is undeniable. Marshall, Sarah and Gianni's individual vocal stylings mesh seamlessly with Taylor's haunting harmonies and keys all the while soaring over epic melodic arrangements held together by Joel Cassady's driving and prolific percussion work. Their independent spirit, unstoppable work ethic and awe-inspiring creativity has catapulted Walk Off The Earth into new and uncharted waters with only bigger and better things on the horizon.

PENETRATION + Special Guests

2012-05-10T11:01:08Z

Formed in late 1976, Penetration from Durham, England may have a suitably outrageous name for a punk band, but their music took them far from conventional "no future" concerns. Vocalist Pauline Murray and bass player Robert Blamire wrote songs that did not need to be hidden behind three-chord bluster and, along with the Adverts, theirs remains one of the greatest undiscovered legacies of the era.

* Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult and leave by midnight

MARMALADE SKY + The Universal + This Modern Youth + The Theme

2012-05-09T16:21:48Z

Five piece British rock'n'roll band from Bristol, UK. Classic British indie punk Rock'n'Roll music that's gonna make people believe all over again. A new voice for a lost generation.
Every era something will come along to bring it all back and wake people up! Lucky for us, and everyone else, that honour has been laid at our door!

HAWKLORDS

2012-05-09T15:38:00Z

Hawklords hit the road with their first studio album for 34 years. Comprising all brand new material, the album features key former Hawkwind personnel: the legendary synth man Harvey Bainbridge, keyboard wizard Steve Swindells, the rocking guitar of Jerry Richards, punk poet Ron Tree on vocals, the barnstorming bass of Adrian Shaw, plus Dave Pearce from The Bevis Frond on drums. The band will be performing new and classic material down the ages - 2 hour set with digital light show by Big Dave's Lighthouse.

New album "We Are One" is released September 2012 and is available exclusively from hawklords@hotmail.co.uk

ALBERT LEE

2012-05-09T15:08:32Z

Albert Lee (born 21 December 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England) is known as the guitarists’ guitarist, having begun with Chris Farlowe and The Thunderbirds and then Heads Hands & Feet in the UK, he moved to the US to work with The Crickets and Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band. In the early 80s he worked with Eric Clapton. He also played regularly with The Everly Brothers for over twenty years.

Lee first experienced commercial success as the lead guitarist with Chris Farlowe and The Thunderbirds. Quitting the Thunderbirds in 1968, Lee joined Heads Hands & Feet in 1969 until the breakup in 1973.

In 1974 Lee left the UK for Los Angeles, California, and joined The Crickets through his friend bassist Rick Grech (of Blind Faith). The band cut three albums together including A Long Way From Lubbock. By then Lee was receiving many offers of session work. In 1976, Lee was asked to join Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band, replacing one of his heroes, James Burton, who was returning to perform with Elvis Presley. Starting in 1978, Lee worked for five years with Eric Clapton, playing and singing for a live concert recording at the Budokan in Japan.

Lee was responsible for The Everly Brothers 1983 reunion concert and was its musical director. He played regularly with the Everlys for over twenty years.

In 1987, Lee was invited by Gerry Hogan to headline at a steel guitar festival in Newbury, Berkshire. Lee was at first intimidated by the prospect of having to front a band, however, the gig was successful and he now tours with Hogan’s Heroes on a regular basis.

A new Albert Lee and Hogan’s Heroes album entitled Like This was released in spring 2008 to coincide with their European tour. Lee continues to work in the studio and tours on a regular basis with Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings.

LYDIA LUNCH'S BIG SEXY NOISE

2012-05-09T14:06:15Z

Formed in 2008 and features James Johnston Terry Edwards and Ian White collectively known as Gallon Drunk & the uncompromising Lydia Lunch who has collaborated with an encyclopedia of musical originators most recently Alan Vega and Omar Rodriguez Lopez of Mars Volta.

BIG SEXY NOISE creates primal, hard-hitting, hip shaking intensely addictive, hard rock music with roots that straddle blues, raw funk and late night jazz noir. Fronted by the notorious Lydia Lunch, BIG SEXY NOISE not only transcends the underground ghetto from which they originated but herald a return to music that is provocative, exciting and once more truly dangerous.

BIG SEXY NOISE recorded their second full length LP TRUST THE WITCH, at Fortress Recording Studios in London during May and September of 2010. TRUST THE WITCH contains 12 explosive original songs written by Lydia Lunch and James Johnston and showcases the diverse musicality of BIG SEXY NOISE. The propulsive themes which drive this album range from the southern funk of Self Defense, the twisted post psychedelia of Mahakali Calling, the hard driving rock of Forever on the Run, Cross the Line and Collision Course and the dirty funk of Ballin’ the Jack. The album closes with the hypnotic voodoo trance Trust the Witch, an intoxicating late
night lullaby flavored by the swamp ghosts of Louisiana blues which serves up a sexy tonic to soothe the sonic bombast of the other 11 tracks.

Big Sexy Noise just got bigger, sexier and noisier!

T.N.G. BANK HOLIDAY ALL-DAYER

2012-05-09T13:46:52Z

Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday All Dayer:

Third Kind

Axial View

Speed Pistol

Transmission

Exiled

Buzz_PMG & Limitz

Neil Vincent

Ritchie James / Louis Osborne

* Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult and leave by midnight

RECKLESS LOVE

2012-05-09T11:53:11Z

Hot off their UK tour with Black Veil Brides and D.R.U.G.S,
Finnish rockers Reckless Love have just announced that they will return to the UK in October for a headline tour which includes a residency slot at London’s Barfly.

The band will perform every Thursday in October at London’s
prestigious Barfly venue in Camden, harking back to the years when legendary acts such as Guns N’ Roses and Hanoi Rocks would regularly take over London’s marquee club.

Touring the rest of the UK while basing themselves in London, the self-styled Merry Metallers will put on a special weekly show in Camden Town, with each set a unique celebration in its own right.

“We are very exited about this!!” says lead singer Olli Herman. “Our reception in the UK has always been over the top, but because of the busy situation in Finland we've felt that the party's been cut a wee bit short every time we've been over. So, we decided to stay a little longer this time and treat our fans with a chance to catch us live all over the UK for four weeks in a row!!! Every Thursday we also get a chance to do special shows at Camden's own Barfly, which was the very 1st place we ever played in the UK and therefore it'll always be a special venue for Reckless Love. It's gonna be one hell of an October and we can't wait to kick it off already. Stay Reckless.”

DESTROYER

2012-05-08T21:11:08Z

Destroyer is Dan Bejar from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Kaputt is his latest vision: an opulent, lyrical, game-changing masterpiece to rank with the choicest works of Sade, Scritti Politti, Simply Red and Steely Dan. For a more contemporary touchstone, feel free to consider it the sad-eyed psychic cousin of GAYNGS' smooth opus Relayted. These elaborate songs were lovingly crafted by a large studio ensemble of dedicated players; they are given fresh life on the road by an eight-piece touring band which will visit European shores for the first time this year.

Kaputt was released by the good people of Merge in North America, entering the Billboard chart at number 62 and receiving exultant hosannas from such august publications as The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Spin and The Washington Post.

Pitchfork awarded it their Best New Music accolade, noting that "Kaputt feels wise. Like a mirror that actually points back at something better. Something you can jam and let wash over you, but also something you can use. It feels funny, tragic, artful, and ultimately true."

The record scored an A- grade when reviewed by The Onion's A.V. Club, who declared: "Kaputt rolls luxuriously in its own plush soft-rock grandeur, powerfully alluring and deeply sad at the same time."

Dead Oceans are honoured to be Destroyer's new home for the UK, Europe and Japan.

Welcome to Avalon, people. This is a paradigm shift.

Kaputt by Malaparte, which Bejar has never read... Kara Walker, specifically the lyrics she contributed to the song "Suicide Demo For Kara Walker"... Chinatown, the neighborhood bordering on Bejar's... Baby blue eyes... 80s Miles Davis... 90s Gil Evans... Last Tango In Paris... Nic Bragg, who played lead guitar on every song, again... Fretless bass... The hopelessness of the future of music... The pointlessness of writing songs for today... V-Drums... The superiority of poetry and plays... And what's to become of film?... The Cocaine Addict... American Communism... Downtown, the neighborhood bordering on Bejar's... The LinnDrum... Avalon and, more specifically, Boys And Girls... The devastated mind of JC/DC, who recorded, produced and mixed this record from fall of 2008 to spring of 2010... The back-up vocals of certain Roy Ayers and Long John Baldry tours... Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence...

These are some of the themes alluded to or avoided in the album Kaputt...

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS

2012-05-07T22:27:04Z

If you sit and talk to many of the alternative rock artists dominating today’s music, you’ll find that many of them pay homage to the The Psychedelic Furs. Led by front man and songwriter Richard Butler, the Furs won over fans and critics alike by combining poetic lyrics, innovative rhythms and melodies driven by an aggressive, punk desperation. Through it all, the band scored major hits with "Love My Way," "Pretty In Pink," "Heaven," "The Ghost In You," and “Heartbreak Beat” in all releasing seven studio albums and spawning several compilations, a boxed set, and a live concert DVD.

These days, the band continues to tour around the world. The current Psychedelic Furs touring lineup remains Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass), Rich Good (guitar), Mars Williams (saxophone), Amanda Kramer (keyboards), and Paul Garisto (drums).

THE BLUE AEROPLANES

2012-05-06T02:13:20Z

Much of the appeal of The Blue Aeroplanes lies in their excellence as a live act. Happy headlining gigs in small indie venues or supporting big acts such as REM and Siouxsie & the Banshees on major international tours, The Blue Aeroplanes have a reputation for keeping their set list as fresh as the line-up of guitarists. Frontman Gerard Langley has a huge stage presence, always wearing his trademark shades even at night in dark venues, and will move from casually introducing songs and making cryptic comments to answering questions from the audience back to his half-sung, half spoken snarling delivery of his lyrics. Memorable performances include the band's 1992 appearance at Glastonbury which was broadcast on BBC Radio 1, the famous finale at the Hammersmith Apollo when 12 guitarists were seen on stage performing 'Breaking in My Heart' and not to forget, the now annual appearance at The Fleece in Bristol.

BRISTOL PUNX PICNIC

2012-05-04T20:28:44Z

SUNDAY 17TH JUNE
The Fleece, St. Thomas Street
BS1 6JJ

Inner Terrestrials
Surfin' Turnips
Spanner
Eastfield
The Surgeons
Black Star Dub Collective
This Ends Here

Doors 5:30PM
£8 on the door

EARLY BIRD WEEKEND TICKETS ARE NOW ALL GONE!!

WEEKEND TICKETS ARE NOW £20ADV!

PENTAGRAM + Gentlemans Pistols

2012-05-04T17:43:40Z

A FRANCIS MACE PRESENTATION

Bobby Liebling & PENTAGRAM have been churning out widely admired hard rock / doom metal for over four decades. Within its first, this D.C. band is largely regarded as pioneering not one but two subgenres of hard rock. At the onset of the 1970’s, they helped procreate a behemoth called, “Heavy Metal.” Nine years on, they’d be planting the dark seed of what would grow to be known as “Doom.” 2011 marks the 40th Anniversary of this American treasure and see the release of their new album, Last Rites, on Metal Blade Records.

When asked about his old band’s beginnings, co-founder and drummer Geof O’Keefe recalls, “It was 40 yrs ago in the fall of 1971. I’m not sure if it was literally Halloween night but it was at least pretty close. I was sitting around with Bobby Liebling, my best friend from school. We were bemoaning our own bands, Shades of Darkness and Space Meat. We were also talking about how Blue Cheer had lost both their fire and guitarist Leigh Stephens. Cream had disbanded, and Hendrix had been dead a year.” That night an idea that could change hard rock history dawned on them. They should join forces start a new group playing all original music influenced by the heavier bands they both loved! Out of love and frustration, PENTAGRAM was born.

Enter 1981. Joe Hasselvander, who joined the lineup in ’78, was dating a girl who had told him about her 18 yr old brother Victor back in TN. Victor Griffin was a young, heavy guitarist already recording his own music under the name of Death Row. On a family visit, Hasselvander traveled to Knoxville to see if this fresh-out-of-high-school musician lived up to his reputation. “Back then Victor Griffin and Lee Abney, his bass player at the time, were already playing the Death Row material,” remembers Hasselvander. “Griffin had the songs and I was blown away by his playing. He had a sound that was a lot deeper than what Venom was doing and it was heavier and more Sabbath-y than what Witchfinder General was doing. In fact, I thought that it was better than Sabbath. He was Blue Cheer mixed with Black Sabbath!”

Shortly before this period, while in high school, is where Griffin perfected the sound invention of “Drop B tuning.”Of the technique, Griffin says, “I had been messing around with a drop D tuning which was also uncommon at the time. I had been playing around with it and dropping it lower and discovered something when I got to B. If you play a fifth chord on the top two strings, it makes this octave. Now you have those seven-string guitars with the low B right on there. For the time though, I don’t know of anyone who had done that.” Little did he know at the time that he’d influence thousands of players in the future.

The band would coincidentally get signed to an unrelated label entitled Pentagram Records in 1985. Death Row recorded a demo in 1981, which was paid for by Hasselvander. The following year, Liebling would pay for another. Three years later, these two demos would be put together to form the self-titled PENTAGRAM album. Merely days before the deal with the label was inked, Liebling had convinced Griffin that PENTAGRAM was a better moniker since it was already well known in the area. Fifteen years into his career Bobby Liebling and PENTAGRAM would finally release their debut album; a record which nineteen years later would be inducted into Decibel Magazine’s “Hall of Fame!” Sadly, Hasselvander was once again unhappy and restless. Before the debut’s release and just after the second record was finished being recorded, he again parted ways and joined N.W.O.B.H.M. / pre-thrash luminaries, Raven. Stuart Rose soon joined Liebling, Griffin and Swaney as the band continued down its path to the top.

The guys played as many headlining gigs in the area as they could and opened for nearly every major label metal band who toured through the DC area. Crowning this era was an infamous gig at the defunct yet historic CBGBs in NYC. As a result of these performances and unique, stellar songs, a new deal with international indie label Napalm was on the table. The second album, Day of Reckoning finally hit the streets in 1987.

The same demons still haunted Liebling and his band however. This coupled with virtually no label support the group was soon driven back into the grave. It wasn’t until 1994 when the band would come back together and record for Peaceville records. Hasselvander jumped back on board. He, Liebling, Griffin and Swaney dug down deep into the vaults and pulled out a few old Liebling classics as well as the usual heavies Griffin had become known for. Be Forewarned came out to more fanfare than ever, even though that still kept them well beneath the mainstream. What PENTAGRAM started to realize, however, is that they had influenced a handful of heavy bands who, like them, sacrificed speed for weight of the riff. Doom metal was in full swing with every one of its bands, Trouble, Candlemass, Cathedral, and so on, sighting PENTAGRAM, along with Black Sabbath, as their main influences. At this time, Peaceville also obtained the rights to the band’s first two albums and rereleased them to young doomsters hungry for the original recipe. It seemed that finally, PENTAGRAM would get its due. Regrouped and re-charged these D.C. doom godfathers gave it another go. Unfortunately, once again, Hasselvander was once again fed-up with the madness and returned solely to Raven. Swaney soon too would become disheartened with the lack of tours, label support and usual rigors of a band living the “rock n roll lifestyle.” He also soon departed the band for a second time. Despite all this, Liebling and Griffin forged ahead and recruited local drummer Gary Isom and Griffin’s nephew, Greg Turley on bass. Stardom was still far, far away however and within a few short years, PENTAGRAM and mainman Liebling once again tittered over an open grave.

Fast forward to 1998…Hasselvander had rejoined the band and in 2001 PENTAGRAM released Sub-Basement and First Daze Here, a collection of Liebling’s best recorded 70’s songs. As quoted by Liebling, “This album finally gave me the growth steps I needed to take in order to find a wider audience.” More rock and hard rock than doom, the soulful songs reached across multiple sub-genres of metal and rock and roll. Accolades of these uncovered songs started pouring in from famous and infamous musicians alike as it went on to sell well over 10,000 copies. Covers would appear from respected contemporaries such as Hank III, Witchcraft and The Dead Weather. People such as Liam Gallagher from Oasis sited Liebling’s 1972 song, “Be Forewarned” in his top five songs of all time. Finally, was the genius of Bobby Liebling and PENTAGRAM becoming known by the mainstream?

Empowered by the recent accolades, Liebling put together a few different line-ups in hopes of playing out live again. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case. Several, now infamous, false starts went down. One of these would happen in 2001 at a doom fest in the DC area. After waiting over an hour to show up, Hasselvander, now on guitar, started the set without him. The band played nearly their entire set before Liebling showed up during the last song. An upset Hasselvander kicked Liebling in the shin and finished the song behind his amps. Another such event was at the Black Cat in DC in 2005. Liebling was indeed at the club on time but so was his drug dealer. He overdosed backstage and had to be revived by the paramedics. Friends dragged him up onto the stage where he collapsed on the drum riser during the first song. He died twice on the way to the hospital but luckily ended up pulling through. Right around this time, 914 Pictures (“The Art of the Steal”, “Rock School”) started working on a documentary on Liebling’s life. A labor of love, the film company worked slowly on the project in their spare time.

Another four years would go by as Liebling struggled against his demons. In his heart, he still wanted to create music. Encouraged by his friends and management, he got a band together again in early 2009. Focused and determined, once again the man was ready to show ‘em how! Gary Isom (Spirit Caravan) joined back up on drums; Mark Ammen (Unorthodox) handled the bass while Liebling’s self-described “secret weapon,” Russ Strahan, burned bright on guitar. A triumphant come back show was booked at the historic Webster Hall in NYC. It sold out as people traveled from around the world to show support. Highlighting songs from PENTAGRAM’s career, the gig went down in a blaze of glory. 914 Pictures was there capturing all the glory of the madman back at the mic in this historic setting. The performance proved why this band was worthy of mentioning in between Black Sabbath and Judas Priest as innovators of heavy metal.

Things never came easy for Liebling though. They say that it is at these times of deep darkness that the light ends up shining through the clouds brighter than ever. Liebling reached out to Griffin who at the time was fronting Death Row alongside Hasselvander and Swaney. Missing his old band mate and mentor, and seeing how hard he was trying to fly straight, Griffin agreed to a small run of US dates in the spring of 2010. Joining them once again was Isom and Griffin’s nephew and PENTAGRAM alumni, Turley. The gigs were a welcomed success and peaked on the main stage of the Maryland Death Fest in front of hundreds of eager fans. The gig was stellar and captured on film by a five camera crew. This show and tour was such a hit that the band again started plodding another attempt at finally making it.

In the fall of 2010, a 3 album deal with the historic metal label, Metal Blade Records was announced! Last Rites, the album Liebling had been dreaming of for ages was announced for release in the spring of 2011. Also penned for release was a DVD featuring the entire set at 2010’s Maryland Death Fest! To top it all off, a 40th Anniversary gig was scheduled for January of 2011.

PENTAGRAM has proved time and time again that giving up is not an option. With the strongest lineup yet, a clean and sober Liebling, and 12 new tracks of pure classic metal coming to fans via Last Rites, PENTAGRAM are poised to conquer the masses and claim their rightful throne atop the metal mountain.