Label: BAD TIME RECORDS Who: An independent music collective started by Mike Sosinski in 2018, focused on building and promoting the community of current generation ska punk artists. They collaborate with like-minded bands, musicians, and other labels. They are devoted to working with bands that are staunchly anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic, anti-xenophobic, and are committed to using their platform to reject any
and all hateful ideologies.
Album info: This is a compilation of 28 new/rare/unreleased tracks to benefit The Movement for Black Lives, The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, The Alpha Institute,
The Conscious Kid, and Black Girls Code. More infohere.
Band: SHAME Who: Razor-sharp-verbal punks, led by hot-blooded
blusterer Charlie Steen from South-London, who nailed
it big time with their fury filled debut Songs Of Praise.
Each year, unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to music legends who brought joy, excitement, and thrills. Here are five of the most famous, among those who passed sadly away in 2020. Rest in peace…
ANDY GILL from Gang Of Four
1 January 1956 – 1 February 2020
GENENSIS P-ORRIDGE from Throbbing Gristle
22 February 1950 – 14 March 2020
LITTLE RICHARD
5 December 1932 – 9 May 2020
EDDIE VAN HALEN
26 January 1955 – 6 October 2020
SID McGRAY from BAD BRAINS
3 July 1957 – 9 September 2020
Last month PEARL JAM general EDDIE VEDDER released two new solo
songs for an EP. Two intimate beauties. Matter Of Time and Say Hi.
– MATTER OF TIME –
– SAY HI –
He now added 4 more tracks. Acoustic at-home versions of three Pearl Jam
songs – Future Days, Just Breathe and Porch – and a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Growin’ Up.
London‘s party expert duo FERAL FIVE is a seductive and swirling Shake It dance tandem specialised in creating adrenalised knockout crackers to fill dance floors. They mix droning synths, glimmering disco ball percussion, layered guitar fuzz into an effervescent cocktail. Add sensuous vocals and what you get in the end are sensual-hip-swaying vibrations to start and end all 24-hour raves and dirty dancing extravaganzas. Hot Saturday Night Fever stuff, indeed.
Let’s get a grip on Kat and Drew Five and find out how they experienced these past strange 12 months. But as usual Turn Up The Volume starts a chat with music. Here’s
one of my favorite FF bangers…
Hello Kat and Drew,
Thank you for making
time for this Q & A…
I follow you for a long time now, but I never asked if there’s
a story behind your artist name FERAL FIVE. Is there?
Kat: “We see ourselves as a space gang… We ate the others.” Drew: “People think there’s an upgrade path… room for an
extra three… but it’s just our family name really.”
Writing swinging dance floor killers is what FERAL FIVE is about.
I suppose you’re both party animals too, are you?
Kat: “For sure, though I make it on to the dance floor more often. Drew’s the demon dancing behind the decks.”
Brand new track GET A GRIP is a psych-chilling groove, with a
different vibe than before. What or who inspired you for this one?
Drew: “We’d been too long not being in the studio together this year. We both
thought that it was time to get on with things but just in a different way.” Kat: “Yes. I was really missing the studio part of the creative process. So, we were
both angry with how this year played out at home and across the pond and felt
it was time for people to ‘get a grip’ on things. For the world to have a rethink,
or at least the humans running it. Or should that be ruining it?”
Over the years you wrote enough material for a whole album,
but so far no longplayer. Any specific reason why?
Drew: “You’re right. In fact we’ve probably got several albums
worth of material but we wanted to create some new stuff.” Kat: “We considered releasing an album a couple of years ago.”
Drew: “In 2019 we had a really fertile writing period. We started writing some really
cool new stuff which we felt deserved to be up there with our best stuff so we had a rethink. Shelved the release plan and continued working on the new stuff.” Kat: “We’ve pretty much got most of the album written and are working on mixing it. Although from March onwards there have been some difficulties. I’m usually at the controls with Drew when it comes to mixing and production so this has been a tough
one.”
Drew: “2021 it will happen.”
Hello Five’s, I want EGO on the album…
This year you both, Kat and Drew, released solo tracks
for the first time. How did that happen?
Drew: “I mean we’ve both been writing separately and as Feral Five for a while. Feral Five
is our main channel but occasionally there’s a personal piece of music that expresses our individual creativity.”
Kat: “As we weren’t able to rehearse and gig, let alone finish album production,
we both released solo stuff to keep our creative energies flowing.”
Drew: “In addition one or two of the things we have been working
on have been with extended members of the Feral family.” Kat: “Can’t say more yet but in the new year we’ve both got some more
solo stuff. Rather than dilute what we’re doing, it’s really recharged us
for the final album push actually.”
During these weird times lots of artists came up with covers.
Which song would you pick to turn it into a Feral Five one?
Kat: “We’ve done a few covers. Usually we play them as a fun extra at gigs.”
Drew: “We covered Japan, The Normal, Poly Styrene…”
Kat: “…Kylie! We did a cover of ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ which we played at
our Neurotrash launch show ages ago. We decided to call it ‘sad Kylie’ because we
made it dark in a very upbeat Nadine Shah style way. Maybe we should record it
finally!”
How’s life in London after 4 years of Brexit?
Kat: “Turbocharged! So much creativity around right now, especially in music,
and activism to fight the powers. London said a great big fat no to Brexit. Maybe
we should form a breakaway state.”
Drew: “London? Where’s that? Isn’t there a London, Ontario I wonder how
the Canadians are getting on? “
Suppose you were asked to rewrite and put new music to the British
royal anthem ‘God Save The Queen’, without any restrictions, what would
be the outcome, in sound and vision?
Kat: “We definitely need a punchier national anthem. We don’t need it to be royal. I’m
a big fan of the Marseillaise. What would we make? Think Kylie crossed with the Sex Pistols.”
Drew: “I think the Pistols did it.”
What was the best track and album you heard in 2020?
Drew: “Best track: ’Unfollow The Rules’ by Rufus Wainwright just because this year really made everyone I know think about what we’re doing and how important family and friends really are especially when times are tough. Best album: Max Richter’s All Human Beings because that’s all we are and all we got baby, and it’s up to us to work things out.”
Kat: “My yes for best track is for Billy Nomates’ ‘No’. Absolute fire. Best album: Bugeye’s Ready Steady Bang, razor sharp disco punk party with meaning.”
What video clip impressed your eyes the most in the past 12 months?
Drew: “I’m a fan of dance and was moved by the video clip of Michael Fryer’s BLM dance protest that went viral this year. The concept of ‘Dancers For Social Justice’ is also a really important movement. Artists and creatives have a duty to speak and for that matter ‘dance’ for humanity. It’s said that Shiva created the world from a dance.”
Kat: “Chicago footwork dancers at a BLM protest. Amazing. I follow some of them on
insta now and watch all the rehearsals.”
Best movie of the year?
Kat: “The Small Axe series of films by Steve McQueen. Mega movie
power in so many different ways, though they’re on the BBC.”
Drew: “From a creative point of view it has to be Sonequa Martin-Green in Star Trek: Discovery. There’s a moment where she gives the command for: “black alert”, a poignant moment reflecting our current collective realities and a creative call to action that calls
out beyond the fourth wall.
Also sadly we lost great granny this year. She was a total inspiration for everyone who knew her. She was 94 and during WW2 when she was probably only 13, she was trapped between retreating Germans and advancing Russians. She survived many changes and difficulties through her life but was responsible for bringing up an amazing family and inspiring further generations.”
Kat: “In music, a joint first – mastering ace Katie Tavini and artist/producer Rookes who founded the 2% Rising group for women and non-binary producers and engineers, that
I’m part of. So much talent and support in that virtual room, punching through more by the day.”
Which song would you pick to play out loud on 31 December,
when the clock strikes midnight?
Both: “Get A Grip” Kat: “It’s what our so-called leaders need to do, as they push us off a cliff.”
Drew: “That or ‘Here Comes The Sun’ by George Harrison.”
31st December: The remix…
Three things you really want to see happen in 2021?
Drew: “Peace, love and Feral Five’s album, insert name here.” Kat: “Build back better happening for real, positivity winning out, and
that insert name here (note TUTV: Get A Grip On Feral Five) album, oh yes!”
(photo: Gary Hennsey)
Thank you Kat and Drew for this interview.
May the road rise with Feral Five in 2021.
Band: PINS Who: Glam and jam pin-ups from Manchester.
Album: HOT SLICK – their third full length Released: 29 May 2020
Info: The 10 new original tracks found the trio of singer/guitarist Faith Vern, guitarist Lois MacDonald and bassist Kyoko Swan welcoming a rotating cast of collaborators following the departure of their original rhythm section. The resulting album highlights an expanded soundscape with nods to influences such as Soulwax, LCD Soundsystem, Suicide, and New Order.
Turn Up The Volume says: A steamy-sizzling-sultry-sweaty-sensual-sexy party record. A boosting happy-go-funky feast. A no-brakes get-together fuzz and buzz fueled by Saturday Night Fever beats and stomping vibes. A cracking night-on-the-town soundtrack. All dance floor killers. Hot stuff. Shale your booty!
Key singles: Hot Slick / Bad Girls Forever
– HOT SLICK –
– BAD GIRLS FOREVER –
It’s not too late to buy
the album and party your
socks off on New Year’s Eve.
Do it now. Right here…
The 24/7 Aussie prog-psych-rock addicts KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD
are busy releasing albums to bootleg! Come again. Albums to bootleg!
They introduced the never-seen-before project with this message: “Yo indie labels, bootleggers, fans, weirdos. We’ve got a deal for ya. If anyone wants to release these albums, you’re free to do so. Feel free to get creative with it if you like, it’s yours. Only deal is you’ve
gotta send us some of them to sell on Gizzverse.com. Whatever you feel is a fair trade is cool with us. Ideas: double LPs, 7”, remix, reimagined cover art, bizarre-looking wax, live show box sets, tapes. Or keep it simple, that’s totally ok. Anyone keen?”
Released: 30 May 1981 – second LP Pitchfork says: “‘Heaven Up Here’ ranges more widely, and makes motions toward the slightly funkier band that turned up on Porcupine, while also stretching out their theatrical side.”
Released: 16 October 1981 – second LP NME said: “Already the first Human League greatest hits collection … Much more than ABBA or whoever you like, the Human League signify that deliciously serious, sincerely disposable MOR music can possess style, quality and sophistication.”
Released: September 1981 AllMusic wrote: “Unlike a fair portion of CV’s studio output, ‘Red Mecca’ features no failed experiments or anything that could be merely cast off as ‘interesting.’ It’s a taught [sic], dense, horrific slab lacking a lull.”
Released: May 1981 – debut LP AllMusic: “This debut record is a stunner… An unflinching look at the world.
‘Playing with a Different Sex’ is one of the great, and perhaps forgotten,
post-punk records.”
Released: 11 May 1981 – fifth LP NME wrote: “I spent an otherwise-miserable weekend afternoon with the sound of Grace swirling around my little earphones, grooving on songs effortlessly sung but put together with
a jeweller’s eye for detail… The musicians combine to etch out a shifting, soulful surface, an exotic ice-water backdrop for Grace’s vocal veneer.”
