This week, a couple of new music things have appeared online. Firstly, my shots from Mastodon‘s thunderous pit stop in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne last week are up now on Drowned In Sound‘s In Photos section. Meanwhile, on Thrash Hits have another review from me. Geocidal is the debut of tētēma – that’s Mike Patton‘s intriguing new avant-garde collaboration with Anthony Pateras. Links and more below…
Back at the end of September, I drafted a Bits & Bobs post, due to go up the following week. I finished it all off, save leaving room for adding photos… and promptly forgot about it. Sorry folks! Busyness is no excuse, but needless to say, a bunch of stuff has happened since my last one of these. I’ve been a panelist at the biggest con I’ve yet attended. I’ve had my first experience of Redcoating. Alongside that, there’s a bunch of new articles and some photos online… I’m afraid this is a bit of a monster catch-up as a result, but hopefully worth a browse nonetheless.
An advance warning first – I’ve got a brand new story coming out in 2015. Fox Spirit has announced the latest in their Fox Pockets series.
Time for a proper #PhotoFriday. If you’re not aware of NARC. Fest, it’s (surprise!) NARC magazine‘s annual event, taking place at venues across Newcastle’s artistic hub, the Ouseburn valley. While the fest also includes comedy and other things, this is often a great excuse to go check out a bunch of local buzz bands of all genres, with music way into the night.While the 30 minute gaps between bands do allow some travel between spots, frankly, it’s easier just to pick a place and stick to it. Thankfully this year’s line-up made that very easy to do, and I rocked up at the Tyne Bar’s (mercifully) outdoor stage in time for the last three bands. Highlights, maestro…
Talking of which, here’s some photos from all three sets:
Continuing the tradition of Photo Any-Day-But-Friday, this week I’ve got some bonus shots for you. You might have heard of Frank Turner – he was the one playing folk guitar on the hill during Danny Boyle’s Olympics Opening Ceremony last year. You might not have heard of his other band, Möngöl Hörde. Completed by Matt Nasir (from Turner’s backing band The Sleeping Souls) and Ben Dawson (Turner’s former bandmate in Million Dead), they hit the road earlier this Summer with Oxygen Thief and Dawson’s other band Palehorse – including a date at Newcastle’s Academy 2.
I could tell you what a brilliant night it was, but you can actually find all my thoughts in the Thrash Hits review that I, err, didn’t actually realise was online. You can read it here: