SPACE TRUCKIN'

 This is on Sunday (25th Nov)

Aboard the Big Spaceship we appreciate all forms of technological progression within the changing universe, but, it was the age of analog that was the initial catalyst for our musical voyage.

Vinyl is a format which is making somewhat of a comeback, a format that in the last few years has been creeping its way back into the public eye.  Bands are releasing their vibrations on vinyl, pop-up record fairs appearing up and down the country, and each visit to your parents house resulting in a quick look in the attic, hoping to find the non-biodegradable artifacts of their youth. This instills a journey and a need to dig through whatever sweet crates of vinyl the people of earth may stumble upon, searching for 12 & 7 inch circles of plastic, old and new.

In this modern age it would seem that we are often looking back in time, seeking musical offerings possessing more character and texture, away from the compressed limitations of the all to familiar MP3.  In our fine city of Leeds there just so happens to be a magical place, seldom seen in our futuristic universe, that caters for the ears of the analog cosmonaught earthling dweller.  This place is known as Wax Bar.  Wax Bar offers a variety of beers and cocktails crafted by some of the cities most highly accomplished bar tenders, and... And! They only play Vinyl. It is this, and the fact that the employees are fellow comrades of the riff that inspired us to host our vinyl appreciation night 'Space Truckin' here, at Leeds finest Juke Joint, Wax Bar.

'Space Truckin' is a name born of Wax Bar Co-owner and bar tender Lee Jones, when we asked him what he expects from the monthly event he replied " I'm always after new music, especially anything with a great groove to it, usually drowned in fuzzy guitars and epic sounds. I want this night to bring some more to my attention and also, allow me to share my own"
The idea behind 'Space Truckin' is to host a monthly event where we play records akin to our riff worshiping desires.  We will be playing Psychedelic / Prog / Stoner / Garage Rock / Krout Rock etc etc from Blues Magoos to Black Sabbath - From Acid King to Electric Wizard and everything in between. Delving into all genres to create a setlist of head nodding, fuzz face laced ear ticklers! Expect the common and uncommon likes of....

DEEP PURPLE, FOCUS, DANAVA, LITTLE FEAT, KING CRIMSON, RUSH, IRON BUTTERFLY, SANTANA, BOWIE, KADAVER, APHRODITES CHILD, ZAPPA, ZEPPELIN, CREAM, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, BUDGIE, TAME IMPALA, BLACK MOUNTAIN, WOLF PEOPLE, SIR LORD BALTIMORE, T-REX, CAPTAIN BEYOND, FREE, LEAFHOUND....

Words by Dan Standish

WET NUNS || MOTHER/DESTROYER || THOMAS WILBY GANG

WET NUNS

If you aren’t already aware of this band then you may have been in some sort of coma for the past 12 months as Sheffield’s finest, Wet Nuns have been tearing their way through a long list of tours, festivals and video shoots as well as the recording of their debut album. Leaving in their wake a pile of partied out gig goers in a seizure of valve driven electric Riff.

MOTHER/DESTROYER

This 3 piece mountain of noise have been somewhat dormant for the past few months, aching to erupt their heavy riff laden smog upon the people of Leeds once more. Its hard to decipher what shelf to out these guys on, its heavy but they’re not a metal band, its dirty but they’re not a punk band and they have a certain theatrical charisma but this aint the rocky horror. lets just say they put on a good show and the rest you can figure out yourselves.

THOMAS WILBY GANG

Pulled together from a variety of Yorkshires finest market towns the Tomas Wilby Gang will be making their live debut on this faithful night with offerings of good time blues wizardry and the righteous justification of dancing attire

 @ SANTIAGOS BAR, LEEDS

FIRST BAND 8PM

£4

facebookevent

Review: ALBUM: 'Beyond The Pale' by Shields

If you like crippling down-tuned riffs, growling bass lines, pummeling drums and emphatic, triumphant vocals then I direct you to this blistering debut album by Leeds medieval power rockers SHIELDS.

'Beyond The Pale' emits a monstrous signal reaching far back to ancient realms where pillaging and other primitive acts scorn the earth. A grave reminder that when four individuals come together to play music, it can be ultimately magical. Yes this band are unsigned and yes this band are local, which pains for me to say it. It pains me because there are so many other bands in Shields' situation; recording music that deserves more attention. However, that aside, Shields are a band on the rise and one can only hope that this album gets the reception that it deserves.

The album kicks in with the creatively named 'My buddy went to Azeroth & all I got were these lousy arrows' which is a whip cracking track on your quest through 'Beyond the Pale'. it features plenty of heavy, in-your-face transitions that strip and then dress right in front of your ears.

BS GIG: Telepathy / Himself / Cattle

Big Spaceships Presents...

It would appear that we may have smashed this gig together, sourcing four completely different bands as the main ingredients to some kind of riff soup, accompanied by a bread roll, buttered in a musical spread, churned in the mill of Rock.

So come join us aboard the Big Spaceship, spoon in hand, and prepare yourselves to enter a void of arcane vibrations....


TELEPATHY

These four gentlemen will be travelling light-years to come fourth and play this gig, from the distant land of Colchester. Bringing with them a metallic instrumental, prog offering of their own interpretation. Their EP, Fracture (available for free download from their bandcamp) is a culmination of mellow, dreamy prog crecendoes, some solid grooves and some spectacular fist in the air headbanging moments. It would be pretty daft to pass up a free download of this magnitude.

HIMSELF

And now for something completely different... 5 dudes from YORKSHIIIRE known as Himself, each member contributes to the vocal arrangment as well as playing an instrument, which lends itself kindly to the bands erratic pop sensibilities and comedic narrative. It would seem that some of the best bands around are the ones that don’t take themselves too seriously and effortlessly achieve a sound that many try very hard to accomplish. A few guys having a laugh + Talent = Awesome band. Its for that reason that you will see Himself playing gigs with bands of completely different stylings, regardless of whether you think they fit on the bill or not, this is because, all sub genres aside, they’re just really fuckin good.

CATTLE

Cattle are not your average 4/4 rock 'n' roll band. They formed earlier this year with nothing and everything in mind. Their music is a wobbly wheeled shopping trolly laden with noisy jazz and question mark ending riffs, taking influence from each aisle of the supermarket and producing a chunky stew soaked in a base of rhythmic precision and heavily seasoned with screaming feed back and fuzz groove.

First band around 8pm

400p

Review...LA OTRACINA - 'The Aquarian Wind'

It would seem, that this Brooklyn collective, travelled across vast desert landscape - drank the waters of some mystical lake of enchantment and upon their return, released their latest offering, The Aquarian Wind, and, played at the mighty Roadburn Festival in Tilberg. Firmly establishing themselves in a modern age of 70’s inspired, cosmic, heavy psychedelia.

The album in its entirety, has a traveling kind of feel to it, with each track documenting the varied paths to which the journey may lend itself. Our trip begins with ‘Voyage To Heldonia’ opening with an erratic episode of drum rolls, as if signaling to take your mark.  Then the bass kicks in and the Voyage begins.  A warm bass guitar and gentle drum taps set the pace of the opening track, soon followed by the curious finger tips of guitarist Philippe Ortanez.  The track flows like water, exquisitely recorded with the soft ssssshhhhimmer of the cymbals existing beneath a current of saturating reverb, exposing subtle waves of feedback.

‘Lost In The Sunrise’ takes the listener along a different road, introducing vocals to the ensemble from drummer Adam Kriney.  Once again, the drums along with some sweet sunburnt fuzzy desert bass lines, effortlessly hold the track in place, confidently spiraling off at their own discretion.  There is a gentle sound of single guitar notes, ringing out with the occasional glimpse of a dusty chord. Permanently on the cusp of braking into the menacing chorus riff, followed shortly by shredding guitar tones cloaked in wah and lush 70s fuzz. After a second chorus the heavy improv jammin’ continues, and rightly so. It sounds fuckin’ sweet.

‘California Orange Sunshine’ bares a strange schizophrenic melancholy. This is a relatively short instrumental meandering that would well soundtrack a moment of ritual confusion within an old psychedelic occult horror film.Emerging from the bass and percussion intro of ‘Cornfield’ come swirling effect laden strikes of the guitar that flourish into a lead melody line, gradually bleeding into the free from and progressive vibes familiar to each member of the band. One of the many great aspects of La Otracina, is the moments of improvised jammin’ the unrehearsed freedom of this band is something that has become somewhat lost in todays musical realm in comparison to that of their predecessors.

’Forgotten To Be Free’ has a heavy proto-metal feel to it, similar to that of pentagram.  Dark bluesy guitar riffs and slow heavy drums accompanied by colossal bass rumblings and Mr Kriney bashing out some more high pitch vocals.  We began our trip with an astral wave of psychedelia, only to finish with a final tale of triumph, charged with awesome valve driven 70’s doom riffage.

La Otracina were formed by Adam Kriney in 2003 and has since evolved into a gargantuan psychedelic cosmonaught - evoking spaced out grooves and artistic improvisational tendencies on a platform of sun kissed 70’s desert prog. This band is not to be overlooked.

Words by Dan S.

La Otracina Bandcamp

Interview with...BONGRIPPER

Many many moons ago, I stumbled across a dismal and relatively dormant band myspace page with a depressing grey background and an image of a Mountain Goat as a profile picture, despite this gloomy simplicity, the bands name was Bongripper. I glanced over at the music player only to find an 80minute gem, 'The Great Barrier Reefer' (2005).  Since then I have maintained an interest in these four doom slingers from Chicago and had the pleasure of seeing them play at this years Roadburn Festival in Tilburg.
We got in contact with Bongripper to find out about their recent experiences, this is what they said.


BS - Did you expect Satan Worshipping Doom to get the response it got and how has it changed the life and progression of the band?
Nick - We had no real expectations during the almost two year writing process, but it did feel like a new direction for the band.  This was the first time we were intentionally writing for a 2LP and the first time releasing any material on vinyl.  We wanted to take the different styles and influences of earlier work, but in a more focused and punishing way.  The goal was to make a album that had 4 separate parts while still retaining the journey aspect of a cohesive full album.  I think this formula allowed more people the chance to get into the music now that we didn’t have the straight noise and drone sections like on previous albums.  It also allowed us to write shorter tracks for the “Sex Tape/Snuff Film” 7” and the upcoming tracks for the splits with UZALA and HATE.

BS - Has the success of the album made any difference to your gigging opportunities?
Dennis - Yes, and no. On one hand we got to play Roadburn this year, and we have played on some bigger shows that have come through the Chicago area. On the other hand we are still a unsigned band, with no label support or booking agent. So that can limit some of our gigging opportunities.

BS - We attended the mighty Roadburn festival this year and it was a fuckin’ life changer, how was it for you guys?
Dennis - Well, I can’t speak for everyone in the band, but it was probably the best musical experience of my life up to this point. Not only were the shows, and festival as a whole, amazing, but everyone involved with the festival were amazing. From Walter, Jurgen, Marisa, Steph, Boris, the bands, to the fans. Everyone involved made us feel right at home. It was truly an awesome experience.

BS - How did it feel when you were first asked to play? 
Dennis - I had to read the e-mail a couple of times. I was in a bit of shock. We had a feeling that we might be asked, but I wasn’t going to assume anything. I also remember feeling very proud. Like I said earlier we are an unsigned band, so we do almost everything from setting up shows, to selling/ shipping our own records. So for us to get that opportunity was a lot of hard work paying off.

BS - How did you find the European crowd in comparison to the response you get back home?
Dennis - Well, i think the biggest difference I noticed was that the European crowd seemed to be a bit calmer, and not in a bad way either. I remember walking onto the stage for the first set at roadburn, and when I looked out into the crowd, everyone seemed to be very relaxed, maybe it was the heat, and in the middle of hanging out with really good friends.

BS - Since 2005 you seem to achieved quite a lot, generating a more enthusiastic response with each release as well as some pinnacle moments on the road, what do you expect the future may hold for Bongripper?
Nick - It has been amazing that we have reached as many people as we have.  We do not send our albums for review to magazines or websites.  We put out records ourselves and we are lucky that people are passionate to spread the music to their friends.  As for future releases, we already have our music recorded and ready for the splits with HATE and UZALA so we are currently writing for the next 2LP.  It is hard to say how the music will compare to previous releases, but we are aiming to put together a devastating doom album that will empty your colon and your prick.  No one left dry.

There you have it, thanks again to Nick and Dennis from Bongripper for answering our questions. Here is a track from their latest release:

Words by Dan S.

Gig: LIMB / BLACK MOTH / THRONE

Come gather round children and witness the day of the holy Sabbat. We here at the Big Spaceship sect are very proud to present a juicy night of psychedelic doom-vibes.

LIMB
Make sure you have acquired the relevant talismans for this daemonic group of heathens, for you will need every kind of protection (especially ear) against the evil forces emanating from the sound of this band. It is Limb's first time out of their lairs into the northern promised land of Leeds and they surely must be preparing well to meet the demands of Leeds' ghastly gig goers.
Limb hail from London and play dirgey sludge ridden doom for fans of Weedeater, Acid King and Electric Wizard.
Download their demo for free here:
http://limbtheband.bandcamp.com/

BS Gig: ANTA / FCOLOSSUS / MHG / CLEFT

Traversing through the realms of the unknown, Big Spaceship uncovered something of a rare find. While meandering through Equine star sector I, an anomalous green moon appeared instantaneously. With the nature of its spontaneous appearance, the crew on the Big Spaceship were imediately urged to explore...this is what we found...

HAMMERS - 'Vardogr' (2012) : A Review

HAMMERS are a group of musicians hailing from Manchester with an original approach to creating brutal crust-laden hardcore. I wanted to include 'metal' in the synopsis, but as soon as I use the words hardcore and metal together my whole body cringes. It is crusty in that it projects gritty bass, low guttural voice and stampeding tempos.. all driven along in an adventurous early Dischord-era style where technical prowess and unpredictable structures aren't sneered upon.

The first track 'Casting Spells' oozes dark feedback(y) mess all over my ears, before spitting out a pristine sounding riff that instantly cuts through the layers of vicious feedback...From black metal to early Baroness in the flip of a switch. The titles of this album almost remind me of the chapter names of some prophetic book out of the middle ages; encouraging a bewildered sense of awe. A similar feeling most have experienced through attempting to read 'Dante's Inferno' when they were 17...intriguing nevertheless.

The kind of head-nodding (cause there are 'kinds') it gets out of me is a kind of blend between the focused jarring approach induced by math rock and the head-down-to-the-ground shake techniques regularly seen at your local thrash gig. Its easy to say Hammers envelop many styles in their music, it is hard to determine exactly how due to the fluency of it. A track that sticks out to me lasts a timely :23 secs named 'Endoteric'. Mainly because I have a great big mushy soft spot for grimy doom but secondly for that chord at the end of the riff; sounds like an orchestra of electric bass guitars all playing the same note in a massive expansive auditorium.

BS GIG 07/07/12: CANAYA // EL SCHLONG // BEARS KILLING BEARS // SEVEN HEADED COBRA

CANAYA

Leeds groove metallers Canaya return to the ship's helm for a night of pure, adrenaline fueled music. Steadily chipping away at the UK's metal scene, they have built a solid undercurrent of buzz with their self-produced EP 'Alignment of Dying Planets' including a melee of live shows, some of which are attainable online; check this feed out hosted by eccentric rockers HIMSELF in an undisclosed venue....
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/himselflive
The debut EP, 'Alignment Of Dying Planets' was released in 2010 to great reviews in Rocksound (8/10), Big Cheese (5/5) and received heavy rotation on Total Rock Radio.

'What the industry has it's sights on' - Metal Hammer

'Alignment Of Dying Planets' is twenty minutes of unremitting ferocity. It’s an aggressively potent EP, the kind of record that will have you smashing yourself across the temple with a hammer afterwards for relief.' - Szikora Press

'Combining a voice with the caustic power of Norma Jean with some seriously Mastodon-esque riffs, Canaya’s EP is a violent twenty-minute pole-axe to the temple.' - Heavy Blog Is Heavy

www.facebook.com/canayauk
www.myspace.com/canayauk
www.youtube.com/canayauk
www.twitter.com/canayauk
www.canaya.bandcamp.com

WOOLGATHER ART PRIZE with us, BIG SPACESHIP!

Hey folks, been a long time been a long time been a long lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely time, BUT we're back now so its fine.
We are lucky this year to be collaborating with the lovely lot at WOOLGATHER art collective for their opening and closing nights to their art prize competition/exhibition. In case you're wondering what the Woolgathering people are about, feel free to visit their site. In a nut shell, they are a creative, hard working bunch of absolute nutcases who graduated from Leeds Met 2 years ago and have been plugging away at their forever expanding collective of artists since then. I was there at the last years one and had an awesome time. If you start saying 'Oh, well I don't know much about art and I always feel undermined intellectually whenever I even mention the word art' ... don't fret, this is a 'for the people, by the people' affair in that YOU decide who wins and thus YOU make your own opinions about the work on show down there Plus, they'll be plenty of drinks, performances and music to sink your teeth into as well. All the more reason to head down!
So, what will we be doing? Well I'll tell you. This year, Big Spaceship will be booking the bands and supplying both evenings with lush and wonderful sounds that will massage your earholes to the peak of auditory ecstasy. So, if you want to come down to sample the visual delights and be surprised by the musical ones or vice versa... I urge you to come down to what used to be the LOFT in Leeds Town Centre near the Bus Station on Friday 11 May and Friday 1 June. For details of the venue and how to get there visit here. Oh and one more thing, it is FREE!

So, here is the list of musical acts over the two days:

Wet Nuns release new video for 'Heavens Below'

 The insatiable blues thunder of WET NUNS has been depicted in a recent music video containing moments of anger, animosity and sexy-80s-jeans-cut-offs-nothing-but-a-black-bra dancing. Delightful. Wet Nuns have recently been named in the ones to watch list of 2012 in the NME, good on ya lads. Its good to hear NME have discovered music with some heavy balls. The video was done by Sheffield-based director Darren Topliss who has invented videos for such bands as Buoys, Horses and Algiers. His work has included some really cool use of projectors and nifty editing skills. Keep an eye out for him in the future.

A couple of Big Spaceship gigs coming up: run,WALK! & Wet Nuns

run,WALK! (Holy Roar)
http://runwalk.bandcamp.com/album/peekay
Noisey hardcore band run,WALK! have been soldiers of the riff for quite sometime and have maintained an experimental and brutal approach to their music since their formation. These guys are no strangers to Leeds but if you have yet to see them play then be sure to check them out.

ANTARES (Holy Roar)
http://www.facebook.com/enjoyantares?sk=app_178091127385
These monsters of physical technicality will warp your fragile mind with their chaotic battery of progressive hardcore from the unfathomable realms of confusion. One sentence. That is all.

WE'LL DIE SMILING
http://welldiesmiling.bandcamp.com/
Awesome Leeds based 3 piece of the progressive hardcore persuasion, We'll Die Smiling have been around for a while and every now and again releasing an absolute fuckin' gem, never failing to impress with a creative streak that is apparent in many aspects of their music.

NO COAST
http://www.facebook.com/nocoastband?sk=app_178091127385
No Coast are a relatively new band but have set their standard from the very start. Their music is a cocktail of brutal punk hardcore grind and aggressive as fuck. Only one song available on their facebook page but be sure to give it a listen and make sure you come and see them play.