Ogikubo Station @ The Edge of The Wedge

Californian duo Ogikubo Station, better known indiviually as Mixtapes' guitarist Maura Weaver and Asian Man Records founder Mike Park, bring their beautiful noise to the Edge of the Wedge next week to kick off their first UK headline tour. The pair released their debut long player We Can Pretend Like last year and recently added to their catalogue with the Okinawan Love Songs EP.

Ogikubo Station play an acoustic set at The Edge on Monday 17th June, with support coming from El Morgan, Brighton-based four-piece Cryptic Street, local favourites The Stayawakes and the enigmatically named Shoes On, Now! Tickets are a bargain £7 in advance and, as always, it'll be more on the door.

If you can't make the duo's gig at The Edge then fear not gentle reader, their tour also takes in The Joiners in Southampton on Wednesday 19th June, Brighton's Prince Albert the following night and the New Cross Inn, London, on Tuesday 25th June.

UPDATE: 20/06 - Apparently Mike Park isn't playing all the dates on the tour, if you're expecting to see him in London then unfortunately you'll be out of luck (the venue are offering refunds).

Breakdown 20

In the late Nineties Portsmouth's legendary big beat club night Breakdown brought the joyous sound of breakbeats & loops to the heart of the city. Now, after a gap of nearly two decades, the big beat sound is returning to The Wedgewood Rooms for a one-off celebration, with multiple DJs working their turntable magic across the venue's two rooms.

Breakdown 20 is a celebration of the music that bridged the distance between clubbers and indie kids but it's also a chance to toast the lives of co-founder Carl Edwards, who passed away last year, and DJ Paul ‘Monkey P’ Keeler who died in 2015. Monkey P founded No More Durty Water, a fundraising organisation that works with existing charities to provide safe and sustainable drinking water, and monies raised from Breakdown 20 will go to help both their work and that of local hospice The Rowans.

The line-up for Breakdown 20 includes Simon Heartfield, Mr Foot and George Spence, with resident DJ Jed Nugget spinning a choice set of old school classics and the mighty Plump DJs headlining. 



Breakdown 20 takes place this Friday, 22nd March, with advance tickets priced at £10 (All ages show, under 14s must be accompanied by an adult).

Portsmouth Psych Fest 2019

Over the past few months the organisers of Portsmouth Psych Fest 2019 have teased and tantalised, proffering an ever growing selection of musical morsels via announcements on their social media, wetting the appetite of the discerning gig-goers who subscribe to its feed. The line-up for this year's festival, the third such event, which they've slowly revealed is arguably the strongest to date and features acts both local and from across the country. 

Headlining the festival are Wolverhampton's Yak whose single, Fried, is currently receiving a lot of play on BBC 6Music (the recent live session for Tom Ravenscroft is definitely worth a listen); the band recently released their second album, Pursuit of Momentary Happiness, after an arduous recording process that, at one point, saw the band homeless and sleeping in a car. That's rock & roll.

Joining Yak on the bill are Los Bitchos (who have recently toured both with both Bill Ryder-Jones and the excellent International Teachers of Pop), London-based six piece Black Country New Road, Isle of Wight psych-punks Fat Earthers and Southampton trio Mystic Peach.

Portsmouth synth duo Drusila join fellow city-dwellers Number 9 on the bill, whilst GURU and Egyptian Blue both travel along the coast from Brighton to perform. From somewhat further afield are Glasgow twangsters Sweaty Palms and Bristol noise sculptors Scalping. The Howlers, Snapped Ankles, singer-songwriter Freya Beer, Japanese Television and the fantastically named Nice Biscuit also feature with Invada Records signees The KVB appearing as special guests.

Psych Fest 2019 will take place at The Wedgewood Rooms on Saturday 4th May, with sibling venue the Edge of The Wedge hosting the second stage. Doors open at midday and, after the live music ends, guest DJs should no doubt keep the fun going until late. Tickets are available now, via the venue, priced at a very reasonable £17 (plus service charge).

Trash Arts presents Alcuna Wilds

As mentioned previously the annual celebration of smaller venues that is Independent Venue Week will soon be upon us. Independent venues across the land (and even some across the pond) will be hosting events in the seven days between Monday 28th January and Sunday 3rd February. 

Once again one of my favourite venues, Portsmouth's venerable Wedgewood Rooms, will be taking part, and has announced that it will be welcoming Beans on Toast, Tankus the Henge, New York bluegrass/hip-hop (yes, it's a thing) outfit Gangstagrass and Canada's Cancer Bats, to name but three, to its stages over this period. Local promoters Trash Arts are also involved, they'll be hosting Anglo-Dutch foursome Alcuna Wilds at the Edge of The Wedge on Tuesday 29th January.

Alcuna Wilds consists of Brits Nadja Freeman (vocals, synths) and Pete Barnes (guitar) who, with Nederlanders Jordy Pama (synths, bass & backing vocals) and Sjaak van Dam (drums, samples), produce some rather beautiful, mellifluous, atmospheric and ambient rock:



Support on the night comes from local talent, with singer-songwriters Paddy Taylor and Teco Nicolello joined by self-confessed lumbersexuals The Jay Groovara Band. Tickets are priced at very reasonable £5 (advance, £6 on the door), which is an absolute bargain if you ask me.

Calamity Cratediggers' IVW All-Dayer

Barely has the dust settled on the old year, heads still ringing from seeing in the new, and the gig calendar is starting to populate with new events to attend. Amongst the first of these is an all day event at the Edge of the Wedge, the Wedgewood Rooms' sister venue, held in support of Independent Venue Week.

An annual celebration of the UK's small music venues and the people that own, run and work in them, Independent Venue Week supports the stages where many artists receive their first taste of playing live to an audience, artists that may eventually end up playing to thousands at stadia and festivals.

Unfortunately the UK's smaller venues currently face threats from a variety of sources, whether it be rate increases, property developers or neighbourhood noise issues, resulting in names familiar to gig goers disappearing from listings across the land.
 
Independent Music Week 2019 runs from Monday 28th January through to Sunday 2rd February, with member venues throughout Blighty hosting gigs (locally this includes The Joiners and Suburbia in Southampton, Strings on the Isle of Wight, and the aforementioned Wedgewood Rooms).

Portsmouth DJs and event organisers Calamity Cratediggers have planned an all day shindig at the Edge, complete with record fair and local art showcase, for Sunday 3rd February. The first two confirmed acts playing are Slift, purveyors of psychedelic garage from Toulouse, and Khana Bierbood (คณะเบียร์บูด), a 60s influenced surf band from Thailand, with several more acts set to be announced soon;

Advance tickets are available now via the Wedgewood Rooms website, priced at a very reasonable £8. Yes, sounds a bargain to me too.

Update:

Calamity Cratediggers have announced more acts that have been added to the bill; from London comes punk four-piece Italia 90 and avant-rockers POSA, from closer to home are Portsmouth bands Violet Mud, The Staywakes and Highlights of Our Modern World.

Rounding out the bill is Chet Wynne (aka Adam Rickman from Jesse Wylde & The Stallions), the Battery Hens/Grief Daddy/Aeroplane Attack/Flubums supergroup that is Friday Night Weird Dreams, and Brighton's Squig. A rather natty poster, reproduced above, has been created for the event by illustrator Carl Tai Thompson and would, I feel, make a very nice framed addition for any discerning gig-goers wall.

Late nights? Earlier doors...

Having The Wedgewood Rooms practically on my doorstep has always been a source of delight; it's a fantastic venue where, over the years, I've been lucky enough to see many artists at various stages of their careers (and, yes, I still shamelessly try and spot the gigs I've attended there from the multitude of posters that adorn the walls of its bar). 

Part of the experience of going to "the Wedge" is meeting up before the gig at one of the local hostelries, killing some time waiting for the doors to open with beer and conversation on whether or not to sample the delights of the support act (which we invariably did, if not then I'd never have seen The Killers and Franz Ferdinand when I did, or discover the live awesomeness that was The Computers).

The reason for propping up a bar elsewhere beforehand was because, for as long as I can remember, my favourite haunt has thrown wide its doors slightly later than other venues; the doors would open later, the bands would start later, the entertainment would end later, and there's the rub. Stay until the end or bolt for the last train or bus? Decisions decisions.

Admittedly this was more problematic when I lived outside of the city and, having resigned myself to not missing out on any music (which meant forsaking the last locomotive heading west out of Fratton), I always tried to make sure I had enough shrapnel in my pocket to cover the taxi home (which meant, on occasion, forsaking the shiny delights of the merch table). 

That was then. Now I live in Portsmouth getting home from the Wedge is just a shortish walk for me. However, having become accustomed to the late starts, several of my gig buddies and I have all had to undergo a period of adjustment when seeing a gig at a venues further afield. Whilst it seemed initially strange that gigs in Brighton and London would start and finish earlier, the realisation that this left enough time to make the last train, including grabbing a bite or a pint at the station before the journey home, was a welcome one.

Times change, which of course means times change. Opening times I mean, more precisely those of The Wedgewood Rooms. Apparently, due to popular demand, door times are moving back to 1930 which also means, obviously, that an evening's mellifluous delights should finish by 2300. This brings the venue more in line with others, makes getting the last train home slightly more easier for those who have to travel and, personally speaking, means in future that I'm more likely to make it home before midnight for my mug of bedtime Horlicks.

The venue is phasing the introduction of its new door time over the Autumn period; by 2019 all gigs should start earlier (comedy and club nights are unaffected). They're also genuinely interested if that's the ideal time for a gig to finish or still too late, canvassing for opinions via their Facebook page. It's OK by me, though it does mean I might have to finish my pint in The Merchant House a little quicker than before.

A Sunday matinee with Sink or Soar

The heavy rain that fell on Victorious Festival's Sunday session this year put the kibosh on several performances. With both the Real Ale Stage and Castle Stage closing due to the inclement elements several acts were bumped off the bill, the lucky ones who weren't suffered the weather (which, given it was raining sideways for most of the afternoon, explains why Gomez sheltered under a hastily assembled garden pagoda for their set on the Common Stage).

Sink or Soar were one casualty of Portsmouth seemingly receiving its Summer supply of rain in one afternoon, which was a shame as their festival set was to be their last gig (boo!). All is not lost however, for the trio are taking the stage one last time (until they reform in 2025) for an afternoon farewell at The Edge of The Wedge, joined by Matt Allen's Mystery Beaks and Rich Keam. If you want to wish the Wit & Co a fond toodle pip mark your calendars for Sunday 4th November.

Dials Festival 2018 - Just added...

The lovely folks behind Dials have announced some additions to the bill of their multi-venue one-day festival. Rounding out an already packed line-up of new music are London bands Yassassin and Krush Puppies, Brighton synth-pop duo Fröst, singer/beatboxer Grace Savage and Portsmouth singer-songwriters Megan Linford and Dani Uziel. All this and more for the bargain price of just £16? You'd be silly not to really.

Sunday of Doom

Sundays.

They're all a bit samey aren't they?

Appease the hangover, vegetate on the sofa, numb the brain with something bland on the television, despair at not winning the lottery, contemplate a beer, flick through the channels again, go to bed knowing that the next Sunday will unfold in exactly the same way.

Ecch.

This Sunday, 19th August, instead of settling down to the last episode of Unforgotten, why not see out your weekend with something loud and raucous instead? Courtesy of the fine folks at Portsmouth Punk Promotions and Charlie's Big Ray Gun Records, and for the bargain price of just £5 (on the door), the Edge of the Wedge is hosting the loud collective majesties of Horseflies, Herd Mover, Human Leather and HACK JOB. Yes, all that, for a fiver.

Bargain.

CHAOS: 20 years and out

It's hard to believe I know but Chaos, Portsmouth's legendary alternative club night, is 20 years old this year. Since its inception in 1991 its entertained thousands with its fresh and dirty approach to music, first at South Parade Pier and, more recently, at the Wedgewood Rooms. Along the way its twice won The News' Guide Awards Best Club Night & Best DJs and has quite comfortably become the South Coast's longest running independent club night.

The 20th anniversary Chaos is scheduled for Saturday 26th November but, before you get a hankering for a slice of cake, any celebration must be tempered by the knowledge that it will also be the last Chaos; after 20 years of outstanding club nights the good people behind the scenes have decided to call it a day. The reasons behind the decision are both straightforward (20 years is a long time) and logical (there are many more pubs and venues offering a wide choice of music, wider than when the club night started) and fully explained on their website.

Over the years I've had some very good and, on occasion, very bad nights at Chaos, pretty much dependent on the amount of alcohol imbibed (more beer = more jumping around like a loonie). I'm old enough to (hazily) remember loud and raucous nights at the Albert Tavern on South Parade Pier, hopping over the moat of broken glass at the bar to get the beers in (and never risking the Sangria). I'd awake the next morning a fetid mess, wreathed in the smell of cigarette smoke and stale alcohol. Good times indeed.

Before it goes the way of Topdoris there are still a few opportunities to experience 'that Chaos feeling' before the lights finally dim over the wheels of steel; first up is this coming Saturday 8th October (£5 advance), then there's the legendary Halloween Special on Saturday 29th October (£6 advance). That sets things up nicely for the final Chaos, a two room celebration featuring DJs both old and current, all of whom will be spinning a cavalcade of Chaos classics (fingers crossed for Limp Bizkit's cover of Faith). Tickets will be £7 in advance and should be available soon. 

See you down the front then, yes?

Southsea Fest preview

One of the great things about living in the Portsmouth area (aside from the close proximity of my favourite venue and the exquisite joy and pain of supporting the local football team) is Southsea Fest; this annual event, now in its 5th year, turns Albert Road into a showcase of new and interesting music with various pubs and venues along the thoroughfare becoming stages for the day. As festivals go it ticks all the boxes; there's a variety of bands to suit most tastes, the beer is reasonably priced and neither rain nor mud can interfere with your enjoyment.

Over the past few years I've enjoyed stumbling across many bands that I'd not previously heard of (no, really), some of whom have gone on to great things whilst some have stayed in the shadows. I've bought CDs, stuffed my pockets with stickers and signed up for mailing lists. I've also seen a large mouse be interviewed for TV and ended up looking after a three-legged wooden pig for an hour, but those are stories for another time.

Moving swiftly on, I've perused the line-up and picked five of the many, many fine acts playing tomorrow that I'd like to see, as follows:

Dry The River
2210-2300 @ The Globe Inn
A five piece from London that produce a mellow alt-folk layered with violins and very distinctive vocals.



Clock Opera
2120-2150 @ The Wedgewood Rooms
I'm fairly sure I caught these as a support for someone awhile back. I can't remember who they supported, or when, but I do recall that they made a very good impression.



Trophy Wife
2210-2240 @ The Wedgewood Rooms (Club NME stage)
I caught a snippet of Trophy Wife's Bestival set at the Bandstand last weekend, excellent synthy indie (with guitar noodlings) from Oxford. 



Jumping Ships
1400-1435 @ The Edge of The Wedge (BSM & Alcopop! stage)
To be honest I don't really know all that much about Jumping Ships. I know they're from Brighton and I know that they create a spikey indie pop noise; I've been to Brighton, I like spikey indie pop, and I like the way Jumping Ships play it.



Apollo's Arrows
1420-1450 @ Southsea Social Club
Apollo's Arrows hail from just up the road, a Southampton trio that produce a powerfully delivered alternative sound (I'm sure there's more than a sprinkle of At The Drive-In in there). Nice.

The fun starts tomorrow at midday, if you've not yet got your ticket then you might be lucky enough to get one on the day (I'd advise getting there early though, the event's Twitter feed was this morning advising less than 50 tickets available from the Kings Theatre and the Wine Vaults). 

Evolution II @ The Wedgewood Rooms

Rock and Metal club night Evolution returns to The Wedgewood Rooms tomorrow night for a second inning, the poster above tells you all you need to know but, just for the hell of it, why don't I just run through the line-up anyway; there's live music from Bare Your Scars, Freakpit, Toxic Shock and the mighty Kodiak Jack, plus classic tunes til late courtesy of resident DJs Hev Stilet Hoe, DJ Matt Random and The Reverend Eales.

The through doors to The Edge will be opened up as well, the overspill bar hosting some Hip Hop as well as comfy chairs. The price of admission for the gig part of the evening is a bargain £4 and entry after 2300 is FREE! For more information on Evolution check out their website or their Facebook page.

Kodiak Jack - 'Your Death : My Glory'

Having laboured long in the studio Pompey rockers Kodiak Jack have unleashed their debut long player uoon the world; the band celebrated the launch of 'Your Death : My Glory' with a sold out gig at the Edge of The Wedge on Saturday last.

The 10 track CD is released by Southampton label Angry Badger Records (no, really) and to wet your appetite here's the album opener, Crossfire...

 

The CD version of the album can be purchased direct from the band, alternatively the album is available for download from such reputable outlets as Amazon and iTunes (update: the Portsmouth branch of HMV is now stocking the CD also).