Do The Downdime..

Time for another guest post: We're handing the reins over to Ste & Liz, one half of Downdime, the finest purveyors of psychedelic noise pop™ Yorkshire has to offer.

Hello! We have fond memories of our house share with JPP. The endless parties - such a hectic social whirl. He’s probably not so fond of the one when some blighter made off with his spanking noo Ipod, mind...
When we were invited to put together this bijou guest blogette, we thought this slab of pulsing minimalist electro would be a great choice. The fact that the band are on the (freaking fantastic) line-up for this year’s Primavera sealed the deal. Then we noticed that the Mystery Jets mentioned the album (20 Jazz Funk Greats) in their Q&A... Spooky. From way back in ’79 Ladies and Gentlemen, Gulls and Buoys, we give you Throbbing Gristle’s ‘Hot On The Heels Of Love’.

Throbbing Gristle- Hot on the Heels of Love (Z Share) (YSI)

Thought it’d be a good idea to highlight some of the best that Yorkshire currently has to offer in the way of new music. You’d have to go a hell of a long way to beat ‘Leeds-Bingley-Saltburn based semi-pro rock band’ Quack Quack. Driven, dancable Krautrock-tinged instrumental wondrousness which occasionally features the ol’ double drumkit trick (and some expert drumming to boot). Catch them live as soon as you can.

Track removed by request.

Next a couple of tunes from ‘555CD55’ , a compilation put out in 2003 by Boyracer Stewart Anderson’s 555 Recordings label. Each track is c. 55 seconds long.
First up is a quick and extremely scuzzy lesson in how it’s done from Pop Threat, the original Squirrel Records band - now defunct and much missed. Happily Darren and Caroline have a healthy new project on the go: The Manhattan Love Suicides (currently touring in the States). Big up the Squirrel massive...

Pop Threat- Hit it (Z Share) (YSI)

And now some perky acidic bleeping from Kid 606.

Kid 606- Hey Straw is the 7" Inch format dead yet? (Z Share) (YSI)

If you haven’t yet stumbled across SoftFocus with Ian Svenonius (on VBS.tv), get yourselves over there as fast as your bandwidth will allow and check it out. Frontman for Make-Up, Pussy Galore, and Weird War, Svenonius’ electrifying onstage energy is mesmerising. On SoftFocus however he comes over as a cross between Parky and an extra laconic Keef, happy to take a back seat as he sets up prominent musical visionaries like Billy Childish and Mark E Smith with searching questions. Far Out. In honour of his achievements in exposing the inner workings of music’s finest minds for our education and edification, how about a track from Make Up’s final studio album Save Yourself. Wanna be a big fish in a small pond? C’Mon, Let’s Spawn!

Make Up- C'mon, Let's Spawn (Z Share) (YSI)