EZRA FURMAN – Botanique, Brussels – 14 February 2018
From depressing parking lots to captivating singer/songwriter/performer
From losing his innocence to a boy named Vincent to ‘us vs the world’ feel
From driving down to L.A. to playing a sold out show in Brussels last night
From peeling an orange every morning to sucking the blood from a wound
From covering the wonderful Kate Bush to playing ardent Chuck Berry riffs
From psalms to transangelic exodus on four wheels, to loving you so bad…
From the great unknown to the rockabilly of tell em all to go to hell…
From loving/hating Valentine’s Day to the Queen of Hearts …
From a beach house to an adoring, crouched audience…
From a dog day to a restless year…
From fear to queer, from a dream to a scream…
Here’s the whole set reproduced on Spotify
(except for ‘Kate Bush’ cover of ‘Hounds Of Love’)
Band: ATLAS WYND Base: the classical city of Brighton, UK Who: Peter Chapman (Vocals & Guitar) / Harry Sotnick (Drums) / Sam Evans (Bass) Pick: ROAD LESS TRAVELLED – brand new cut Score: an uproarious firecracker build around a repetitive horsepower riff, pushed relentlessly by jittery drum kicks and extra energized with a vehement chorus. Play
it on repeat in the morning to awaken your sleepy brain and lazy limbs. Trust me,
far more efficient and intoxicating than an overdose of caffeine. Hell bloody yeah!…
Clips that will have an impact on your eyes and your ears…
Artist: CÉCI Who: A 25-year young London-based sound designer, producer and singer/songwriter from Denmark who creates soundscapes out of glitches, layered vocals and hard-hitting and insisting drums… Track/clip: IF – the final track from her ‘4/4’ EP – a song about forgiveness, the soundtrack
for a transformation, moving from one state of mind to another, from trapped to freedom explains the artist… Score: ‘IF’ feels like a mind-raising and trance-like experience. A spiritual trip, both enthralling and fascinating. An adventuresome exploration making me think of the transcendental quests of trip hop pioneer Tricky. Spellbinding tremblings and a truly mesmeric clip. Capture the spirit here…
Turn Up The Volume already fell in love with this eccentric outlaw gang from Liverpool
when their scorching debut EP Sass Or Die hit our stereo. Led by the eccentric, the freakish and the utterly charismatic QUEEN ZEE this gang built itself a thunderous reputation on the busy live circuit in the UK. I think their latest grenade VICTIM AGE
is another, more mind-expanding way to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year.
Surprise your ignorant lover with a BIG BOOMING BANG! Why? Because this vicious sledgehammer is LOUD! SEXY! NASTY! DIRTY! HORNY! PUNKY! WILD! SHOCKING! TERRIFIC! RIOTOUS! SMASHING! RED-HOT! and also MASSIVE! AWESOME! BADASS! CUCKOO! MENTAL! & TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS! See, exactly the insane mood you
always wanted for a day like this instead of another lousy present! GO FOR IT! 1-2-3-4…
Striking video’s that will impress your eyes and your ears…
14 February 2018
Powerful drone machine DEATH FROM ABOVE just launched a banging clip, directed by award-winning filmmaker Eva Michon, for CAUGHT UP, the newest roaring single of their third album. A battering cannonball going totally uncontrollable somewhere in the middle. WHAM BAM KABOOM! Get your head ready ’cause here comes a merciless slam dunk…
THE BANKROBBER hails from Italy, a band formed in 2008 and named after that classic The Clash song. But this 4-piece is more about colorful pop rainbows than about punk reggae, more about multi-layered symphonies than about in-your-face rock ‘n’ roll. Their brand new debut album MISSING is crystal clear proof of their high-quality songwriting abilities. A delectable collection of top-notch vibrations with swirling electrodynamics.
Rich orchestrations and wondrous arrangements. Universal pop music without frontiers. Before talking to singer/songwriter and guitarist Giacomo Oberti let’s get in the right mood with one of the highlights off the LP. Here’s Closer…
Hello Giacomo, welcome at Turn Up The Volume!…
1/ When, how and why did the band form?
“We formed the band 10 years ago. At the beginning, we just wanted to play our favourite songs from our favourite bands. But soon, we began to feel the need to write our own stuff. So, we chose a name and started writing. Soon after that, we started playing shows in our area.”
2/ What’s the story behind the band’s name?
“When we started playing, we mainly listened to The Clash, and so, we decided to steal the name from one of their songs. We chose it many years ago, but it still means a lot to us and represents us. I still like the way it sounds.”
3/ When did you know “this is how we want to sound, this is
what we want to tell the world”?
“I think our sound had a turning point three years ago, when we released the single ‘Good Road To Follow’. Actually, it was a turning point for the whole project, because we introduced keyboards and the female voice of my sister. It really changed our sound a lot. We’re inspired by the British New Wave, but we also listen to a lot of American music too. So, we mix our influences and try to create our own sound.”
The turning point…
4/ What’s the signature track so far for The Bankrobber?
“It’s hard to choose just one track. At the moment, I’m undecided between Closer and Pier 39, because both are quite dark and I think it represents us. But the new album is out now, so maybe we’ll find a new one.”
Music without frontiers…
5/ What movie would you pick to visualize your music on a big screen
in the back of the stage when playing a show?
“This is interesting! No one has ever asked us this question before. In fact, it’s a great question because we’re pretty passionate about cinema. It’s also a pretty hard one, too, because we wouldn’t want to ruin the movie. But if I think about it, a western from Sergio Leone would be perfect!”
The Bankrobber, once upon a time in the west…
6/ What’s on the van’s stereo when driving to gigs?
“On our van’s stereo, there is really everything. Well, everything except for heavy metal
or shitty electronic stuff, but there’s lots of current music. But I mean everything like, for example, last year, our drummer and I drove the others crazy with the One Direction songs ‘Perfect‘ and ‘History‘. Actually, I don’t know why we listened to them so much, but I guess because they’re happy songs and so we always belted them out at the top of lungs. Anyway, during our trips, there is a lot of music that each of us chooses, usually different song rotations that go on for hours.”
7/ If the band was an animal, which one would it be?
“Wow, I’ve never thought about it. I don’t even have a favorite animal. But I suppose,
if the band was an animal, it would be a bird to be free to fly anywhere.”
There goes The Bankrobber…
8/ Social media: a blessing or a pain in the ass?
“Social media are definitely a pain in the ass. What I mean is that, if I think about teenagers lost in the screens of their phones for hours, man, they’re losing contact with the real world! And it’s mostly the fault of social media. But if we talk about it in terms of promotion, in my opinion, it can be very helpful, even if it is not so easy to manage.
This is because there are so many platforms to try to cover. For example, we’ve got our website, but we also have videos on YouTube, and we’re on Facebook and Instagram so people can find us more easily. You just have to be. So today, it’s a real job to manage a social network and benefit from it.”
9/ If you could go back in time on which artist’s front door would
you knock and ask to have a selfie together?
“We probably would like to knock on Sid Vicious’s door and ask him for a selfie because he was such an icon of social, fashion and musical periods that no longer exist, he totally fascinates us. We love a lot of 70’s and 80’s punk bands like The Clash, Sex Pistols, Dead Boys, Damned, Ramones and many others.”
10/ Plans for 2018?
“The new album ‘Missing‘ is out now, and we already have a tour to promote it in Italy, Spain, and Portugal at the end of February. This year, we just want to play as much as possible. Maybe we’ll get to Belgium too (note TUTV: ‘I’m waiting’)!”
Thank you for chatting with Turn Up The Volume, Giacomo!
May the road rise with THE BANKROBBER!
Band: JAPAN SUICIDE Who: An Italian five-piece collective based in the city of Ternieo. They formed back in 2010 with a common love for monumental bands such as Joy Division, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, and Depeche Mode. Album: SANTA SANGRE The band says: “Our new album is inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s movie and Roberto Bolaño‘s novel ‘2666‘ (the book’s themes are manifold, and it circulates around an elusive German author and the unsolved and ongoing murders of women in Santa Teresa, a violent city inspired by Ciudad Juárez and its epidemic of female homicides) all the while moving from echoes of British post-punk to a sound replete with more psychedelic and shoegaze textures.”
Turn Up The Volume says: This is a thrillingly compelling work of gloomy passion and
inky keenness with a dusky, romantic sound and a mysterious vision. It feels like a sci-fi voyage into an obscure darkness. Mythical compositions, bewitching orchestrations and symphony-like arrangements take you to another, phantastical galaxy. Today is Valentine’s Day, maybe you should try black instead of red for a change. Ignore the traditional greedy business and explore each other’s dark side. Dim the lights, light a candle, look each other in the eyes, here’s the soundtrack to a very special and emotional experience…
The Jukebox Series: only the greats can fill a Wurlitzer with many memorable moments…
Often described as art rockers, I’ll go for mind-boggling,
highly fueled ‘mixed emotions‘ musicians with charismatic
frontman Kele Okereke as driving force & passionately
outspoken vox. Always intense, honest and full-hearted
Here are TURN UP THE VOLUME‘s 15 selected favorites.
Press the button, start the ardent BLOC PARTY jukebox…
ElEfAnT jUsT lAUnCHed A neW TrAcK fRom tHeir UpCOmiNG And lONg-aWaiTeD dEBut alBUm. WiE SchARf IsT dEN MeSSer? iS aNOthEr WaCKo NiGHtmARe oN elM stREEt. A mENtal rOLlercOAstEr. SloW, fASt, slOW, fASt. a MelODiC mETAl blOW. An EarSPliTTiNg HaMMer. I jUst CAn’t bEhAVe noRMal, moVe nORmAl, BrEAthE nORmaL, PISs NorMAl oR wrITe nORmaL wHEn tHEse CuckOOs shaTTer mY PoOr BrAIn WiTh RiP-rOAriNG SHIt LiKe ThIs. DAmn YOu, MoTHerFUckERs…
