Belgium says I’m an extraordinary boy: album reviews & interview
Album review by The Viking in The Wilderness above – archived here, as it’s on facebook and therefore subject to be buried in the newsfeed.
Elsewhere in Europe, I’m “scandalously ignored” – Music in Belgium says so. (And who am I to argue?) A very nice review of the album in French.
Whisperin & Hollerin reckons “he keeps on churning ‘em out, and amazingly, without any dip in quality” – yes, well… when I have my next nervous breakdown that’ll be why. There are worse ways to spend a life, of course.
V13 kindly asked me to write about the 8 albums that changed my life – see me speak my brains here.
More words to follow, hopefully.
the album – track by track & review
Did a track by track on the new album for Sonic Shocks – read it here.
Goes into a bit of detail about how it was recorded during lockdown, what the songs are about, the whole point of the thing… Hopefully an amusing read without giving too much away (it’s a fine line, but I don’t like to hand everything out on a plate. Mystery, you know). See what you think.
They also a put up review – here – “a powerful collection of tracks”. As always, you can hear them by hitting the Bandcamp player just to yr right there…
LP track by track & interview
Thanks to GBHBL, who not only interviewed me following the LP release, but published some track-by-track notes that I wrote about it.
Interview link here. “I ended up in Brighton, like so many drug burn-outs and rejects from the capital, and got my act together. The music, hopefully, takes care of itself.”
Track by track here. “I once had an idea for a live show at the Brighton Fringe Festival but couldn’t work out how to do it without somebody getting killed … This turned into a song… which is one of the most upbeat things I’ve written“.
3(!) interviews & 1 EP review, Oct ’18
So the new EP’s bagged me several more interviews, following on from Big Issue North and AltCorner… with, if I say it myself, very little repetition and zero rambling.
There’s also a review, courtesy The RingMaster: “a mix of challenge and seduction but most of all a fascination leaning towards needing more”… Hey, I’ll take it.
Here are the links:
Sonic Shocks interview “my feet were floating a couple of inches above the floor and everything was blue round the edges”
Whisperin and Hollerin interview “I got a lot of abuse growing up in England with an Irish surname, so it feels good to parade it now”
Riff Media interview “I’d be seduced by power […] my hands coated with blood and my soul shrunken to a burnt piece of popcorn, then end my days in front of a firing squad”
…There’s stuff about songwriting, inspirations and the dodgy reality of being an independent artist in 2018. Also, the EP’s being streamed by Puregrain Audio, here. So yeah, you can listen and/or read as the mood takes you – with more to come yet.
Big Issue North interview, Oct ’18
“this little honesty nugget could poison my future…”
The link above takes you to a lengthy interview I did with Big Issue North recently (then had to keep quiet about for a while). It was a buzz, and hopefully makes a good read – covering such things as:
What informs your music and songwriting?
What’s on your rider?
and
What’s your worst lyric?
…among others. A lot of words, so I’ll just leave it there for you to take a look.
Lilith: 1st review (Monolith Cocktail, Oct 9th)
Take a look at this – the other artists are very check-outable, too, loads of stuff to read / listen to – give your mindbrain & earbulbs a treat.
(Just as well I take note of these things, as the review seems to have vanished. I’d think it was my imagination otherwise – MF In The Future)
Unpeeled album review + TOUR NEWS
The 13th August update of Unpeeled has very positive things to say about Glow in the Dark – “once in a blue one, you come across something of genuine interest”, for a start – and I’ve taken the liberty of quoting the entire review somewhere on here. Go to the site, though, it’s all good writing (and they clearly have excellent taste).
Tomorrow sees the first date of MINOTAUR – South Seas Live in Sheffield. Facebook pg for that specific gig here.
Wish me luck – or a gloriously messy death. x
GLOW IN THE DARK out today – reviewed by Whiteboard Project
GLOW IN THE DARK – album #2 – is now available from Bandcamp, Amazon, Spotify & the rest. My advice is get it from Bandcamp, where it comes with extras.
It’s been reviewed by Whiteboard Project, here. (Scroll down, it’s the second or third item.) It “will infuriate some and delight others […] Highly recommended”. Amen to that.
On top of this, I’m part of a brief tour from 15th – 19th August.
Brighton Souce & Ringmaster Reviews: Glow in the Dark x2
Two more reviews for Glow in the Dark, first from Stu Huggett in Brighton Source magazine:
…And second from Ringmaster Reviews, here. An ambivalent one, this – “at times not easy to get a handle on”, but “to ignore it would be a mistake”… and “a sinister caress with less than healthy intentions which leaves one rattled but needing to feel its shadows again”(!). Still, it’s in-depth, which is aces with me. And uncertainty isn’t a bad thing… I’ve evoked some colourful images in the writer’s head: my work is done.
more press & BBC session news
Here’s another write-up for Hard Science from is this music? Good again: I’m a punk poet prepared to push the boat out, it sez. Damn right.
The BBC Introducing: South session takes place next Sunday, 24th June – more details as soon as I have them (probably tomorrow).
God Is In The TV reviews Hard Science, 10th May
Good ink…
Here’s a review of forthcoming single Hard Science on God Is In The TV’s site.
It’s a good one: “If these two avant-pop tracks are anything to go by then the album should be, at the least, intriguing.”
Read the article, listen to the tracks when they’re released at the end of this very month, and see if you agree. (In fact, Hard Science can be heard on the Bandcamp player at the top of this page. If you like, you can watch the video, too.)
