PREMIERE: bigfatbig – ‘Science’

If you’re fed up of casual dating and sick of being treated like a hole instead of a human being; bibgfatbig‘s debut single ‘Science’ will help to remedy that frustration. The trio’s blend of buoyant guitar melodies, crashing percussion and relatable lyrics are a welcome tonic against toxic masculinity.

With a friendship spanning over a decade, vocalist Robyn Walker and guitarist Katie Ryall began writing songs together as a way of privately putting the world to rights behind closed doors. As things progressed and more ideas flowed, the notion of taking their work to the stage became within reach, and once bass player Chaz Hall was recruited, bigfatbig became a reality.

Guitarist Katie extrapolates on the themes that fueled the band’s debut single ‘Science’: “Being single for the first time as an adult opened my eyes to modern casual relationships. The complexities that social media, free thinking, and a misogynistic world has had on 2018 “dating” weren’t a shock to me – I hadn’t been living under a rock – however, I also hadn’t considered how they could equal a lack of respect. Without going into detail, Science came after growing tired of being mistreated by men who believed that because a relationship is casual, respect doesn’t come into it. We all came to the conclusion of writing Science as a big “fuck you” to this – song writing is cathartic to us, and screaming this song every practice has certainly helped me navigate what it means to be a single adult.”

We’re thrilled that the bigfatbig grrrls have stepped out of their bedroom and on to the stage with their catchy, reassuring tunes. You can listen to ‘Science’ below, and you can catch the band live in their hometown of Newcastle at the Cumberland Arms on November 10th.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Petrol Girls – ‘No Love For A Nation’

Fueled by embarrassment over Brexit and frustration about how geographical borders hold us back; formidable activists and GIHE favourites Petrol Girls have been busy dismantling the fabric of the state in the video for their latest single, ‘No Love For A Nation’. It’s an anti-nationalist anthem designed to unite and fortify individuals, regardless of what country they were born in.

“Swap them, switch them, patch and stitch them” sings vocalist Ren Aldridge over visuals of her bandmates and their allies cutting and re-stitching world flags in to a new “rag” that forms the backdrop for the band’s live show. The track is lifted from the band’s recent album, Cut and Stitch, whose name was inspired by the ideas explored in the new song.

Ren articulates the motivations behind the new music video more poignantly than we ever could:

“This video is a collaboration between myself and the incredibly talented Martyna Wisniewska. The video is a manifestation of an art project I’ve been doing for ages, cutting and stitching national flags…

We shot this video on the way from Austria to the UK for our September tour, via Germany and France. Zock had the idea of hiring radical spaces to shoot the video in. DIY social centres and a radical bookshop – these are places in which radical organising takes place, where information can be disseminated and our community can gather. We filmed at Sub in Graz, Kafe Marat in Munich, Villa Bellevillein Paris and Freedom Bookshop in London.

It was in these kinds of spaces that I first encountered the slogan ‘NO LOVE FOR A NATION’ in the form of stickers, banners and graffiti, and it has informed my politics ever since. I’ve found that many people are quick to make accusations of naivety against those of us that question the nation state, but I would argue that it’s far more naive (not to mention heartless) to think we can continue organising human society in the way that we do.

Nations create borders and borders create violences like detention, deportation and the denial of safe passage. It is a bizarre and often cruel way of organising societies on the basis of where people happen to have been born. It is those on the fringes of these definitions that suffer their harshest consequences – refugees, migrants and asylum seekers. It is not acceptable that 18,000 people have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea since 2014, because they were denied safe passage on the basis of their nationality.

Simultaneously, populist nationalism takes aim at these people, and uses them as a scapegoat for the failings of capitalism and neoliberalism. If history has taught us anything, it’s that we must resist the rise of populist nationalism that is sweeping the planet.

We stand in opposition to Fortress Europe but mourn Brexit as the result of populist nationalist politics and a xenophobic, dishonest and, at times, overtly racist campaign. We are not proud of Britain – we are embarrassed. Above all we are angered by the rise in racism and xenophobia since the Brexit result. We are deeply troubled and angered by the way in which populist nationalism has emboldened racists and fascists across the world.

At its core, the Nation State is just an idea – a notion – something that exists in our collective imagination and is consolidated through culture – through monuments and museums, through football and flags.

This song, video and art project aim to question and contribute to destabilising the idea of nations. Can we collectively imagine ourselves in a different way? The nation rose from the decline of the monarchy – what will rise from the decline of nations? Can’t we find better and more inclusive ways of collectively understanding ourselves?

The video also celebrates the punk community, which stretches across borders and nations, and has inclusive and anti-authority politics at its core. I feel like this community offers us a glimpse of what might be possible.”

Watch the video for Petrol Girls’ ‘No Love For A Nation’ below and follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

Petrol Girls 2019/2020 Headline Tour Dates
November 20th: KIEL (DE), Altemeierei
November 21st: HANNOVER (DE), UJZ Korn
November 22nd: BREMEN (DE), Die Friese
January 14th: NEWPORT (UK), Le Pub
January 15th: BRIGHTON (UK), Green Door Store
January 16th: LONDON (UK), Oslo
January 17th: NOTTINGHAM (UK), Bodega
January 18th: MANCHESTER (UK), The Deaf Institute
January 19th: GLASGOW (UK), Nice & Sleazy
January 21st: BELFAST (UK), McHughs
January 22nd: DUBLIN (IRL), Whelan’s
January 23rd: LIMERICK (IRL), Kasbah Social Club

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: The Joy Formidable – ‘A Balloon Called Moaning/Y Falŵ​n Drom’ (10 Year Anniversary Reissue)

A record that will be cherished by loyal fans and embraced by new ones, The Joy Formidable‘s special re-issue of their debut EP A Balloon Called Moaning is a poignant marker on the timeline of a band who have enjoyed well deserved success for over a decade.

Originally written & recorded in a bedroom by vocalist & guitarist Ritzy Bryan and bass player Rhydian Dafydd, A Balloon Called Moaning has taken the band from intimate venues, all the way across the globe to established festival stages. Their versatile song-writing and formidable stage presence have kept the attention of both fans and critics since their inception, and they’re set to stay there with their celebratory double vinyl, released via Hassle Records on 1st November.

The eight original tracks on the EP are accompanied by eight acoustic Welsh language versions, which are a homage to Ritzy’s geographical roots. This means gentler tracks like ‘9669’ and ear-swelling anthems like ‘Whirring’ all get the same treatment. It doesn’t matter whether you’re fluent in Welsh or not, the language has a natural musicality that suits the renditions, breathing new life into well established tracks.

“This childish heart won’t wait, it dances, keeps me awake” sings Ritzy on opening track ‘The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade’ (Y Golau Mwyaf yw’r Cysgod Mwyaf), which still sounds as shadowy and hypnotic today as it did upon its release in 2009. This feeling of restlessness permeates the EP, with Rhydian’s buzzing bass lines and drummer Matt Thomas’ urgent, crashing percussion fuelling the fire beneath Ritzy’s mammoth guitar riffs.

‘Cradle’ (‘Crud’) and ‘Austere’ (‘Llym’) blitz by in a whir of thrashing guitars and catchy lyrical refrains that still stand the test of time in mosh pits during live sets. It’s hard to pick “stand out” tracks on the record, but ‘While The Flies’ (‘Tra bo’r gwybed’) is certainly one that lingers in the memory. Ritzy muses about being forgotten – “They left you falling and no-one remembers your name” – whilst Rhydian provides atmospheric backing vocals on a track that rises and falls like waves crashing upon the shore. With the gift of hindsight, the sentiment of being forgotten now seems irrelevant for a band who have enjoyed longevity in a fickle industry.

The enduring power of ‘Whirring’ (‘Chwyrlio’) is one of many reasons why the trio’s EP is so memorable. It’s thudding drum beats and punchy lyrics provide a defiant, cathartic burst of energy mid-way through the record. It’s followed by stripped back lament ‘9669’, with Ritzy and Rhydian’s call-and-response vocals giving poignant insight in to a seemingly painful, intimate conversation. It’s offset perfectly by penultimate track ‘The Last Drop’ (‘Y Diferyn Olaf’), with its manic stop-start rhythms and bold lyrics, before the oddly named ‘Ostrich’ (‘Estrys’) closes the EP. It’s a dizzying wall of sound; a mixture of buzzing riffs, longing vocals, and relentless percussion that form an all-consuming, disorientating aural blur.

Retrospective reviews are tricky, as they’re usually tainted by the author’s nostalgia, but that’s what makes them so enjoyable to write (and hopefully to read). What makes reviewing A Balloon Called Moaning so special for me 10 years after its release, is that this is the record that made me want to start writing about music. At the tender age of nineteen, I discovered the band via a crush who I was trying to impress, and it opened my ears to a new breed of music outside of the charts, and introduced me to the ferocious splendour of live sound when I made the pilgrimage to see the band live a few months later at The Garage in Islington.

Of course, the band have since released other, equally as good material, but it’s this priceless personal affiliation with the songs on A Balloon Called Moaning that makes me return to it a decade later. That is the legacy of a formidable record, produced by an equally formidable band. Their song-writing craft can be fully appreciated in both its acoustic and electric forms on this wonderful celebratory release.

Pre-order your limited edition double vinyl of The Joy Formidable’s A Balloon Called Moaning here.

Photo Credit: Steve Reynolds

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Gold Baby – ‘Philadelphia’

A dreamy lamentation about going too far, but realizing it way too late; Gold Baby‘s new single ‘Philadelphia’ is a bittersweet indie ballad that brims with buoyant guitar sounds and front woman Siân’s charming vocals.

The London-based band have undergone lineup changes over the few months, but members Siân and Scott have shown resilience in the face of adversity, and are now supported by loyal friends and musicians when playing live as a full band.

Described as “what it might sound like if Norah Jones wrote a Weezer song”, Gold Baby blend catchy, melodic guitar sounds with confessional lyricism, and latest single ‘Philadelphia’ is another shining example of this. Mixing the narratives of a night spent lost in Pennsylvania, with that of a Mexican fisherman lost at sea; Siân’s ambiguous lyrics will conjure up images of strange familiarity, even if you can’t directly relate to the track’s context.

Gold Baby will be releasing more new music in 2020, but before that, they’ll be playing live for us at The Finsbury Pub on Friday 8th November alongside Cozy Slippers, Macadamia Sluts, and a secret headliner…(event details here). Listen to ‘Philadelphia’ below and follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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