Portsmouth's legendary lost Surf Punks Emptifish return for a home-town show next weekend, headlining a night of Garage Rock at the city's newest venue, The House of Rapture. In the 80's the band's gigs gained an infamous reputation, due to in part to an often raw connection with some of the more raucous Pompey fans, leading to Emptifish gaining a ban from playing within the city limits. Whilst it could be argued that this censure led in part to the band's split, on the eve of recording their debut album no less, time heals most rifts (even The Eagles reformed, despite Don Henley's famous quip) and, after all this time, it only seems fitting that their latest gig is in the shadow of Fratton Park.
Support on the Skaraman curated night comes from Sci-Fi Punk supergroup The Gary 7, a band featuring members of Armoured Flu Unit, Thee DB3, The Good Time Charlies and, of course, Emptifish themselves, with mood music between sets courtesy of DJ Paul Groovy.
The band recently released a new single, Haunted, through local label Mayfield which featured ex-Damned drummer Rat Scabies on percussive duties (I remember seeing Dead Men Walking at The Wedgewood Rooms some years ago, an evening notable for Captain Sensible telling some rather interesting and slightly off-colour anecdotes about his old bandmate, but those are tales for another time).
Tickets for the Saturday 6th July gig are £8 in advance, available now from the venue, direct from the bands involved or in person from Lord Sonic's shop on Albert Road.
David Addison once famously posited, do bees bee? I really hope so, and I really hope they keep bee-ing, but the humble Honey Bee, arguably the most industrious and important creature on our planet, is in serious trouble. A
combination of habitat loss, pesticide usage and climate change have
seen a dramatic drop in numbers of our honey-making chums, something that we should
all be concerned about as, without these amazing, pollinating, waggle-dancing insects us humans would be in deep doo-doo.
Thankfully there is still time to help our little buzzing benefactors and, to highlight their importance, the work they do and how we can give them a helping hand, the fine folks at Portsmouth's Staggeringly Good Brewery are hosting a festival this weekend to celebrate all things bee and raise money to support new hives in the area. In addition to beer (obviously) and honey-based food there will also be presentations from bee experts and, yes, live music.
Hive Aid, and yes I see what they did there, starts this Friday, 21st June, with a performance by Eşya, the solo project of Savage's bass player Ayşe Hassan, at The House of Rapture. Eşya's intoxicating blend of delicate, slightly troubling vocals and persistent beats produce songs laden with foreboding.
Support on the night comes from Hyperstition Duo, ex of the late lamented Sheffield band Blood Sport (whose set at Drift a few years back still burns bright in my memory), and London-based trio Mohit.
Entrance to Friday night's gig is £5 (or free if you pre-order Eşya's EP from Pie & Vinyl).
Hive Aid continues across the weekend with live music throughout; unfortunately details of Saturday's line-up are not available at time of writing but Sunday's session is notable for featuring acts from the Ready To Rock School collective; Luca & Madison, Electric Milk, Glass Cage, Charlotte Neal & Markus Smith will all be performing and entry is FREE!
"You know I love the feel of your tomahawk caress, got your finger on the button babe, you ain’t nothing like the rest"
Singer-songwriter James Tattington is better known by his nom de scène, Fugitive Orchestra, a moniker he lifted from a Ballard novel (don't ask me which one, I've not the foggiest). A veritable one-man band of guitar & pedals James has performed at venues across the South and at both the Victorious and, more recently, Icebreaker festivals.
New single Tomahawk Caress is a slick, funky slice of alt-pop, fuelled by a thrumming electro bass and laden with claps; there's some Chic-esque guitar in the mix and, to be honest, there's a feel of Har Mar about it (and that's no bad thing at all). It could be argued that it's a bit too early in the year for something as summery as this, its foot-tapping beats ideally suited to power a friend-packed BBQ on a hot afternoon, but that's climate change for you.
To celebrate the release of the new single, and the video that accompanies it, Fugitive Orchestra is (are?) holding a launch party at Portsmouth's newest venue, The House of Rapture, this Friday, 8th March. Support comes from Hometown Show and To Retort and, if the lure of live music and Staggeringly Good's excellent beverages weren't enough to tempt you out on a Friday night, entrance is FREE! Doors from 1930, music from 2000, so best to get there early if you want don't want to miss out.
Recent Bella Union signings Penelope Isles are set to release their debut long player, Until The Tide Creeps In, on the label this Summer. Ahead of this the Brighton-based quartet of Jack Wolter, Lily Wolter, Becky Redford and Jack Sowton are hitting the road, playing a selection of dates which includes a stop at SXSW and a home-town show for the Wolters on the Isle of Man.
Along the way the band will be making a return visit to Portsmouth, where they played Dials Festival last year, to play a set at the city's newest venue The House of Rapture. Tickets for the Tuesday 2nd April gig, co-promoted by Dials, Strong Island Recordings and Pie & Vinyl, are priced at a very reasonable £6 and available online via Billetto.
Support on the night comes from local acts Barbudo, who recently released their new EP Sunshine, and the lo-fi soul of Ban Summers. The gig poster, below, has been conjured up by Chris Williamson and, disturbingly, reflects how I feel some Saturday mornings. No, really.
This year's instalment of the annual celebration of all things round & shiny and the beloved shops that sell them, Record Store Day, will soon be upon us. On Saturday 13th April, at locations all across the land, people will be standing in line, waiting for the doors to open on their local vinyl emporium. Many will have been waiting outside their favourite shop for hours, perhaps even overnight, just to get their mitts on THAT reissue, THAT special pressing, THAT longed for release that they need to fill a specific hole in their record collection.
The selection of records, the long list of vinyl delights, is invariably a mouth-watering selection of gems that covers near all genres and styles of popular (and not so popular) music. Each year the list of records grows, a spreadsheet of wants that no doubt causes consternation for Bank Managers all over the country. The list of RSD records is released ahead of time, to both give the shops ample opportunity to request their preferred stock and us punters a chance to drool as we scroll through the mammoth spreadsheet of temptations.
The 2019 RSD list will be announced this Thursday, 28th February, and to mark the occasion Southsea's treasured Pie & Vinyl is hosting its own RSD launch event, spinning vinyl (and you're welcome to bring your own for a go on the decks), giving away cider from RSD partner Friels and, of course, offering a special selection of pie-tastic meal deals.
The following day, Friday 1st March, the fun continues over at Portsmouth's newest venue The House of Rapture. Havant Nu-Eyed Soul outfit Barbudo are launching their new EP, Sunshine. For a taste of what the band has to offer check out previous single Secret Admirer via the SoundCloud embed:
Entrance to EP launch party is £6 on the door, though entrance is FREE if you pre-order the new release via Pie & Vinyl. Doors open at 1930 and, I have no doubt, a good time will be had by all.
I like live music, I like a good beer and I like to enjoy one whilst indulging in the other. With this in mind it would seem obvious that I'd be rightly appreciative of any event for new music that just-so-happens to take place in a venue which has a brewery attached.
The House of Rapture, Portsmouth brewers Staggeringly Good's new bar venture, is soon to play host to that most popular way of sampling new music, the Open Mic. In partnership with local band-cum-entrepreneurs Skaraman the new venue will be hosting regular Open Mic Nights, starting with their inaugural event on Thursday 29th February.
Most Open Mics I've encountered have tended to limit themselves to solo or duo acts, trios at a push, with nary a sniff of a full band. Not so at The House of Rapture, the organisers are keen to welcome all to their stage; solo acts, duos, small ensembles and full band line-ups too, the venue will cater for all to plug-and-play.
The doors open wide on the new night at 1900 and, as time slots won't be pre-allocated, would be players are advised to get there early.
For the most part my memories of attending Glastonbury Festival are good; a wonderful selection of music and entertainment, spread across a sprawling site, enjoyed amongst the excellent company of friends and several thousand other people. Admittedly walking through the mud can become a bit of a chore, any shelter from the elements depends on how much you paid for your tent, the sound of people giggling off nitrous can get very annoying and, obviously, the memory of the Long Drops famed aroma draws a knowing recognition amongst fellow travellers who've experienced its delights.
As I've grown older however the lure of urban festivals, such as The Great Escape in Brighton or Portsmouth's own Victorious, very much appeals; I can enjoy a surfeit of good music, seek shelter from the elements when required, and retire to the comfort of a proper bed at the end of the night. If only there was a way of enjoying Glastonbury in a similar manner, of savouring the music but without the mud or "interesting" toilet facilities? No long walk between stages, no chance of the stage view being blocked by That Guy with a ridiculous flag on a pole. If only.
This thought may well have occurred to the very nice people at the Staggeringly Good Brewery who, having both a tap room and a new music venue at the their disposal, have decided to stream the best of Glasto for the enjoyment of Portsmouth's beer and music loving punters.
Alongside the yet-to-be-announced-but-most-likely-excellent selection acts whose performances will be shown on the big screens will be a selection of the brewery's excellent (and unfined) ales. Add to this the promise of proper toilets, no mud and absolutely no chance at all of being stuck behind someone trying to get their significant other on TV by hoisting them onto their shoulders and it sounds like a winning plan to me. Obviously it won't be the same as being stood in a muddy field in Somerset but that's kind of the whole point.
Best of all though is the price of the tickets; entry is absolutely FREE (which, given that I like many others missed out on a ticket to the festival's return this year, makes it even more of a bargain). Lovely super smashing great, as the late Jim Bowen was wont to say.
Waking up on a wet Saturday morning, with a sore throat and a head full of cold, puts no-one in the best of spirits. So it was then that I attempted to recharge my energies with a double-header of caffeine and Twitter. Whilst the coffee machine did its noisy thing I scrolled through my feed and, yes, saw something which brought the sunshine back into my day.
For a while now small venues have been disappearing from out midst, with Portsmouth losing several over the past few years (The RMA Tavern, Drift In The City and The Cellars to name but three). It's therefore nice to be able to report some good news; the lovely folks of local ale producers Staggeringly Good have today announced the imminent of a new venue for the city, The House of Rapture.
Situated adjacent to both the brewery and its taproom, within shouting distance of Fratton Park, this new venture promises to marry the joyousness of live music with craft beer (which Staggeringly Good brew some very tasty examples of). If you're in the least bit beardy, like me, then this is a very good thing indeed.
The House of Rapture opens next week and, to celebrate its launch, the venue is hosting three evenings of FREE live music. The fun starts this Thursday, 20th December, with party ska from the always effervescent Skaraman, psychedelic rock from Mystic Hipniks Picnic (from Portsmouth, via Metropolis) and some chilled out ambience from Highlights Of Our Modern World (who were excellent at Dials Festival this year).
The following night, Friday 21st December, boasts modern folk from Megan Linford, shoegaze from Superdrone and 6Ts flavoured psych-rock courtesy of Number 9. The opening celebrations conclude on Saturday 22nd December with grunge from Make Them All Smile and [drum roll] a super secret special headliner who will be announced on the day. All that and they sell very nice beers too which, I'm sure you'll agree, really is something to celebrate.
