Beatz Music & Gig Buddies go Country...

For several different reasons, one being the soulful soundtrack, another the highly quotable dialogue, The Blues Brothers is one of the few constants on my ever-changing list of favourite films*. John Landis' madcap musical comedy, with its raft of Saturday Night Live's early stars performing alongside some of Stax & Atlantic's best musicians, is a surreal portrait of early 80's America (replete with levitating Nuns and a Twiggy cameo).

In one of the film's most memorable scenes our behatted protagonists rustle up a gig at a misbegotten venue in the middle of nowhere, a roadhouse that is not at all welcoming to the Brothers' brand of R'n'B. From my first watch of the film this venue, and the quip about it having both kinds of music, coloured my view of Country music and its fans as a cinematic punchline; bottle throwing red-necks love Tammy Wynette. 

Whilst the sequence is still admittedly funny I have found, having watched the film again through my now considerably older eyes, that it unfairly stereotypes both the music it tenuously represents and the folk who listen to it. That might sound a bit PC but, as I've got older, my tastes have broadened and now an evening spent listening to both the theme from Rawhide and Stand By You Man on repeat, drinking beer and singing along, definitely appeals. 

Unfortunately Bob's Country Bunker only exists in a 35mm world however, in our reality, venerable Portsmouth venue The Wedgewood Rooms boasts at least some of the magic of a roadhouse (the trademark sticky floors and cold beer I mean, not a wall of chicken-wire across the front of the stage to protect the musicians). Admittedly the Wedge may be more Donny that Marie but it has credentials enough to host an evening of modern Country music. 

And when better to do so than on America's birthday? 

This Fourth of July the Wedge will don its blue jeans, polish its Dingo boots, and welcome some modern Country music onto its stage, and it's all thanks to Gig Buddies and Beatz Club. These two organisations promote regular events for adults with disabilities which, whilst providing people with special needs an authentic night of live music in a safe environment, are open to ALL music lovers who want to share a good night's entertainment. 

The line-up for this Thursday night's hoe-down features a performance from local singer-songwriter Alex Krupa, some multi-instrumentalist mellifluousness from RSD Unsigned 2019 shortlisted act Hengistbury, with four-piece Dirt Road Diary closing the evening with a no doubt loud set of Country Rock.



Tickets are for this hootenanny are just £5, available in advance from the venue, with carers getting in for FREE. Yee haw! (sorry, I just couldn't help myself)

* Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back are the other two

Emptifish @ The House of Rapture

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.  

Highlights of Our Modern World @ The Wave Maiden

Portsmouth's Dials Festival is an excellent showcase of new music, presenting local and touring talent that the average gig-goer may have otherwise not had the joy of stumbling across. Last year's festival provided me the pleasure of encountering both the jaw-dropping live spectacle of Brighton's LibraLibra and the mellow tune-scapes of Pompey's own Highlights of Our Modern World (or HoTM for short).

Watching a man hunched over an array of boxes and keyboards, twiddling nobs and fettling his MacBook, may not immediately appeal to those who like their performance art high in the frenetic. The experience of enjoying HoTM perform live is, however, more art than performance, with the music seeping into your pores and allowing your brain to paint pictures in your mind. OK, I'll admit that sounds more than mildly pretentious, but trust me on this one.



If you'd like to enjoy this experience then your luck is in; HoTM headline a Lathe To The Grave curated night at The Wave Maiden in Southsea next weekend, a line-up that also includes Winchester-based DJ and instrumentalist Inkhromo, Portsmouth's own trip-hop & glitch legend Yeti and new local talent Yung Chow.



Doors are from 1900 next Saturday, 29th June, with entry to the gig only £5 (or £3 for NUS cardholders). G'won, you know you want to...

Hive Aid / Eşya @ The House of Rapture

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!

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).

Emptifish - 'Haunted'

"That girl has got, got me, got me cursed" 

In 2015, after some nearly 30 years of radio silence, Portsmouth Garage Rockers Emptifish re-emerged from the musical mists of time to finally release their debut long player. Having plundered the vaults 6.57 collected both long lost recordings and the band's two singles, on vinyl, in a deliciously designed retro sleeve. The positive reaction that their vinyl retrospective received naturally led to more live dates, including sets at Victorious Festival, which in turn energised the foursome to return to the studio, subsequently releasing the Sonic's Got A Ray Gun EP in 2017.

Spool the reel-to-reel forward a few years and the Pompey Surf Punks are back at it; new single Haunted, released via Portsmouth label Mayfield and featuring Rat Scabies (yes, THAT Rat Scabies) on drums, has a stomping swagger about it. A heady blend of guitars and thumping drums that power the tune along, laced with distorted vocals and organ stabs fill which out the sound to make something sinfully catchy. It's a great return although, and I'll admit this might sound picky, my only complaint would be that it sounds too slick for Emptifish (where's Lee Mavers with his bag of dust when you need it?)

 

To celebrate the new release the band are playing a rare live date, a home town gig at The Old Barn, on Sunday 5th May where they'll be joined by The Rems, The Dinz and special guests Acid Attack. Tickets are £8 in advance, available from Albert Road's Dress Code or online from book.events.

For a snapshot of the band in their heyday, replete with some very interesting newspaper clippings, check out the Emptifish page on the Portsmouth Music Scene website.

Death By Shotgun @ The Wave Maiden

Bournemouth emo-punks Death By Shotgun kick off a short Spring tour with a stop-off at Southsea craft ale haven The Wave Maiden on Friday 12th April, a nice warm-up for their appearance at Brighton's Washed Out Festival the following day.

The band's latest release Good Times / Sad Times, the vinyl edition of which not only boasts eco-friendly credentials (making every pressing unique) but also features the band's debut EP on the flip-side, is available from Bandcamp via Beth Shalom Records.

Supports for The Wave Maiden gig are TBA, advance tickets are £4 (plus booking fee), available from WeGotTickets, entry £5 OTD.

Crocodile Nightmares: Violet Mud, Sans, Gork and Make Them All Smile

The Checkatrade Trophy is, for those unfamiliar with the vagaries of the beautiful game, the third most prestigious trophy in the realm of English football. Were it not for capricious fate (and two goals from Sunderland) Bristol Rovers would have reached this year's final at Wembley, playing Portsmouth for the honour of lifting the silverware. 

If Rovers had made it to this weekend's final then linking the game to Crocodile Nightmares' forthcoming gig at The Loft, which features bands both from Bristol and Pompey, would not have required such tenuous opening spiel. But that's football for you, it's a funny old game but, at the end of 90 minutes, Ron Manager will have something inane to say.

Noise merchants Violet Mud, local purveyors of raw, loud musical morsels, headline an evening of mellifluous entertainments. The band played the Strong Island Recordings stage at this year's Icebreaker, always a sign of quality.

The first of the Bristle bands is Sans, a three-piece whose Facebook bio likens their output to audio treacle. Mmm, treacle. Ahead of the release of their first long player Misophonic Songs the band released a track, Ode to Marilyn, which is currently streaming on Bristol In Stereo. If you remember Rickyfitts then you may recognise one of Sans.


 
Also out of Brizzle are Gork, a six-headed, twelve-legged power punk pop monster of epic proportions. All hail Gork, our new Bristolian overlords... feed the Gork and it will score, etc..



Rounding out the bill are Make Them All Smile, Portsmouth post-punks with a predilection for choice tunes and post-gig kebabs (who also, like Violet Mud, played the SIR stage at Icebreaker in January).



This fun-packed fixture is scheduled for Friday 12th April, at The Loft on Albert Road, with tickets priced at a bargain £5.

Nod Ya Head #4 - Jeph, Flying Machines & Fugitive Orchestra

The motto "same old town, brand new music" befits Nod Ya Head well, with the Fareham promoter quickly establishing a deserved reputation for booking an interesting mix of bands for its live music nights. The line-up for their fourth showcase, which includes something great from the other side of the Solent, can only add to this renown.

The Isle of Wight continues to bring forth great musical offerings, such as the cinematic electronica of Curxes, the spiky indie-pop of Lauran Hibberd and the eclectic loveliness of Plastic Mermaids. The island's latest export is Jeph, an indie foursome with a lush line of jangly guitar; if you like The Beths then these should be right up your street.



Second on the bill are Flying Machines who, I have no doubt, some idle writer will tailor a quip about being magnificent men. The band Portsmouth band, not to be confused with the London outfit of the same name, released their debut long player Tales of a Quiet Guest last year.



Rounding out the line-up is Portsmouth's own Fugitive Orchestra, the one-man-band of James Tattington, who recently celebrated the release of his new single Tomahawk Caress with a gig at the city's newest venue, The House of Rapture.



Advance tickets for the Saturday 6th April gig at The Roundabout Hotel are available online now via BookEvents, priced at £6, with entry OTD still a snip at £7. 

UPDATE:

02/04 Physical tickets are available for purchase from Heathen Chemistry, West Street, Fareham.

The Domestics @ The Festing

Ipswich punk/hardcore outfit The Domestics descend on Pompey next month, headlining a Portsmouth Punk Promotions/Charlie's Big Ray Gun Records promoted night at The Birdcage, and already I'd put money on a raucous circle pit forming during their set. If you like fast, loud and shouty then this gig will definitely be your bag of chips.



The band play the upstairs venue at The Festing on Friday 6th April, with local bands Hack Job and Flybums so far announced as support. For the low low price of £5 you can enjoy an evening of loud guitars, throaty vocals and fast drumming (with the chance of suffering a ringing head the following morning being highly likely).

Lower Slaughter @ The Loft

Marsh Gibbon. Queen Camel. Lickfold. Curry Mallet. Throop. The English countryside is liberally sprinkled with odd sounding places, quaint hamlets with weird names, that lend themselves easily to naming your new favourite band (though I'll admit Throop does have a bit of a "Brian Pern" feel about it). The Cotswold village of Lower Slaughter, an outpost better known of late as being a no-go area for selling ice cream, might not feature amongst the odder patronymics but, yes, it has indeed named a band.

The musical version of Lower Slaughter are an indie-rock foursome, three quarters of which are based in Brighton (with singer Sinead Young now residing in her home town of Glasgow), who release their second album Some Things Take Work via Newcastle's Box Records later this month. With the new long player imminent the band are taking to the road, stopping off at The Loft in Portsmouth on Friday 5th April.



Support comes from the magnificently monikered You're Smiling Now But We'll All Turn Into Demons, a band who take their name from a comment in documentary about female wrestling (and not, as I previously thought, from a badly translated Anime), Horsefiles and Dad Hair.



Advance tickets are available online from WeGotTickets, priced £7 plus booking fee.

Calamity Cratediggers: Horseflies EP launch

For nearly forty years the brutalist magnificence of the Tricorn Centre dominated the heart of Portsmouth's commercial quarter, a confection of concrete and reinforced steel that stirred opinion, for and against, in all who saw it. In latter years the dank, grey structure looked more like somewhere Rick Deckard would hang out but, in its heyday, the Tricorn was host both to one of the first Virgin Megastores and a venue which the likes of Marc Bolan, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, The Wedding Present and Hothouse Flowers all played.

After years of neglect, and despite the protestations of its architects and the locals that loved its strong presence, the Tricorn was demolished in 2004. However since its destruction the building's legend has grown, becoming the subject of a short documentary, lending its name to an electronica duo and proving to be an inspiration for local artists. Its angular logo features on custom apparel, prints of its likeness have proven popular and now it has inspired the city's newest label, Brutalist Records.

Brutalist are a cassette-only outfit, a format which easily lends itself to DIY releasing despite splitting opinion nearly as much as the architectural oddity that inspired the label's name and logo. The label's initial offering is from Horseflies and to mark its release Brutalist have teamed with local collective Calamity Cratediggers for a launch party at The Birdcage.
  
Horseflies, if you've not yet encountered them, are a magnificent noise machine that consists of both current and ex-members of Deluxe Flamingos & Attack! Vipers!. The band released Fist, the first track from their new Lucidity EP, earlier this year with the song subsequently getting a spin from Tom Robinson on his BBC Introducing 6Music show.
 


Joining Horseflies on the bill are recent These Bloody Thieves signings The Howlers, purveyors of alt/desert rock hailing from east London. If you missed seeing them play the Edge of The Wedge in February, or fancy checking them out ahead of their set at this year's Portsmouth Psych Fest, here's your chance.



Rounding out the line-up are local acts Make Them All Smile and the quite magnificently named Dad Hair (finally, a band name that I can aspire to).



Things get real at The Festing on Saturday 23rd March; entrance is £5 OTD, details of advance ticket information are available via the Facebook event page.

Giant Peach @ The Wave Maiden

Indie quartet Giant Peach pay a visit to Southsea next week, headlining the bijou experience that is The Wave Maiden's upstairs stage. The band, who formed in Brighton early last year, released their debut single in June with a party at the city's Hope & Ruin venue (i.e. the place where I've queued in vain outside at every Great Escape I've attended, despite the bouncer's assurances to the contrary). 

Melatonin is a fine shimmery slice of alt-rock, replete with noodly guitar, moody lyrics and a catchy chorus (which, yes, has a bit of an Enjoy The Silence vibe to it) and has a suitably sparse video to accompany it (though I think leaving your bike in a field and wandering off like that is just asking for trouble).



Support comes from Berlin-based foursome Askers Dodge who'll be bringing some brooding alt-rock to the fray. The lyrics, and vocal delivery of frontman Greg Thompson, are reminiscent of a certain Sheffield band, something which the band allude to in their bio, or even that bloke who always arrives late for his own gigs, but these are merely cosmetic similarities; whilst you may pick up musical references at first listen there is a lot more going on here.



Wyse, who recently released their Switch Of My Controller EP, have been added to the line-up of the Friday 22nd March gig, with tickets are available now priced £4 in advance (via WeGotTickets) or £5 OTD. 

 

Updated 17/03 - Poster and support act added

Radlouse @ The Festing

Grimy grunge merchants Radlouse play The Festing's Birdcage venue this Thursday, 7th March, topping a bill featuring some great local talent. The Portsmouth four-piece, who headlined the Acapulco stage at the city's Icebreaker Festival this year, should rock the hot and sweaty confines of the compact yet bijou venue with their raw yet melodic tunes.


 
Joining them on the night will be Portsmouth post-punks Hallan, also headliners at Icebreaker 2018 (where they closed out the The Honest Politician stage), who head into Thursday's gig fresh from playing the quarter-final of the Isle of Wight Festival's New Blood competition at The Wedgewood Rooms earlier in the week.



Rounding out the bill are Southampton alt-rockers Sleazy Shoes, local punky three-piece Flange and Fareham grit-popsters The Gillies (who make a rather good fist of a Chris Isaak classic). Entrance to this Thursday night feast of music is just £3, a bargain, and should make for a great way to welcome in the weekend (well, Thursday IS the new Friday after all).
 

Penelope Isles @ The House of Rapture

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.

Beatz Music & Gig Buddies present...

No disrespect intended to Rodgers, Hammerstein or the late Maria von Trapp, but bright copper kettles, or warm woollen mittens for that matter, are not on my list of favourite things. If I was to create such a list then I can state quite easily what would be at the top of it; the simple act of attending a live music event. 

Yes, going to a gig. That feeling within produced from the combination of sensations, the bright lights and the loud mellifluous noise. The power of the shared experience, the joy of the sound of music. There's nothing quite like it and it's a gift that all can, and should enjoy. 

However, for some of us, attending a gig may not be as easy and accessible a joy as for the rest. For various reasons entering into a dark auditoriums that hosts live music, with a crowd of unknown faces in attendance, may be a disconcerting experience. Thankfully there are organisations that actively seek to open the experience up for all, organisations such as Gig Buddies and Portsmouth's Beatz Club.

Gig Buddies is a nationwide organisation which matches adults with a learning disability to volunteers with similar musical tastes, together sharing the love of live music. Beatz promotes events that offer adults with disabilities an authentic night out of live music in a safe, supportive environment.

The team behind Beatz combine their passion for music with their experience working alongside individuals with disabilities, ensuring that "everyone has a great night out". The two groups co-hosted a Christmas special at The Wedgewood Rooms, featuring live music from Bedlam and Monkey Love Stunt Team on the decks, and it's back at the venerable Albert Road venue where their next event will be held. This time around it's going to be a loud one; the organisers have shuffled the decks, checked their hand, and are playing the Rock card. 

First on the bill are Further From The Sky, a rocking four-piece with an impressive bio; between them they've played venues across the UK and Europe, recorded in London and California, and toured with the great and good from the international and underground rock scenes. If you want a South Coast rock supergroup, you've got it...



Next up are Joolz, Marky Mark and JD, aka Trouble County, a Portsmouth power trio producing "down n’ dirty, oil stained, groove-driven Southern stoner rock".



Topping the bill are South Coast three-piece Heir of The Dog, purveyors of funked up rock and rolling riffs aplenty.



This array of rock riffage takes place on Thursday 28th February at The Wedgewood Rooms and, whilst the aim of the gig is to provide people with special needs a safe environment in which to enjoy live music, the event is open to all music lovers who want to share a good night's entertainment. Tickets are for this shindig are £5 and carers go FREE.

Cool Gig in a Church #3 - Capital Fuzz

Gosport's Quay West Studios return to St John's Church in March, hosting another of their successful Cool Gig In A Church events which have so far showcased the likes of local bands such as Hooli, Wyte Stag and Neverman. The third instalment welcomes Portsmouth indie rockers Marmalade Moonshine and, fresh from headlining The Loft stage at Icebreaker 2019, rock four-piece Capital Fuzz to the Forton Road institution.



Cool Gig In A Church 3 takes place on Friday 1st March and, in addition to the lure of a cheap bar (ID required) and excellent acoustics, entrance to the gig is FREE (although a suggested donation can be made at the door). Which is nice, isn't it?

CLT DRP & LibraLibra @ The Joiners

Southampton's legendary Joiners will host a Brighton band double-header in April, welcoming art-pop-rock ensemble LibraLibra and electro-punk noise merchants CLT DRP to its compact and bijou stage. 

Having encountered LibraLibra at Dials last year I can guarantee that they're a live act you have to catch; raucous beats, arresting hooks and lead singer Beth Cannon's frankly jaw-dropping vocals, a stylised performance that lingers long in the memory. Recent release Skin and Bone is a prime example of the aural onslaught that awaits the discerning gig-goer (the AK/DK remix is pretty damn good too).



CLT DRP, three disparate travellers whose paths crossed on the South Coast, are a live unknown to me but on the strength of the tracks available online they bode well to deliver a raw set packed with pumping drums, feed-backed guitars, industrial beats and angry vocals.



Oh yes, this gig promises to be very much my bag of doughnuts; if it tickles your fancy then mark Wednesday 3rd April on your calendar. Tickets are available via the venue, priced at £5, with additional acts set to be added to the bill presently.

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.