Five Favourites: Roaches

Swedish four-piece garage band Roaches have just released their new EP ROACHES! and we are loving it! They describe their sound as “Acid flop lollipop fuzzy pussy bug smash lash trash bubble slug hug” – need I say more…

We caught up with Linda & Åsa to tell us their ‘Five Favourites’ – five artists or albums that have influenced their songwriting techniques. They both came back with so many great choices, we let them have five each because we’re nice like that. Check out their choices below, and make sure you give their new EP ROACHES! a listen at the end of this post!

Linda – I have been singing since I was a little girl. For me, it’s been really natural to identify with female singers. Mostly the ones who ”stood out”. Here’s a few of them:

Blondie – ‘Dreaming’
Debbie has been my number one since I was six years old. The first time I heard Blondie was through my father’s cassettes and I fell in love. I was completely fascinated that a girl could sing both in a beautiful and ugly way at the same time. And I still listen to her just as much today! It’s hard to find a favourite song but ‘Dreaming’ is captivating and never gets old!

Siouxsie And The Banshees – ‘Cities in Dust’
This video caught my attention first, not the music. I remember sitting in front of the TV screaming when it came on. Siouxsie has this dark appearance and voice that is really dramatic, and I loved it. ‘Cities in Dust’ is both dark and catchy and it’s about volcanoes! And I love volcanoes!

Kate Bush –  ‘Cloudbusting’
Kate Bush is multi-talented at mixing music, dance and her unique appearance and that really caught my attention at a young age. She is strange and I can relate to that because I feel the same. ‘Cloudbusting’ is my favourite song of hers, it just feels really ‘Kate’, and it resonates with me on a personal level too.

Björk – ‘Jóga’
I have followed Bjork since Kukl and Sugarcubes. It’s hard to describe in words how much she means to me. But, in short, she represents freedom. She has always done what she wants. She can be like a child and the next second a queen. I admire that ability. Björk is the artist I feel closest to myself. I choose Jóga for the love of Björk and the Scandinavian nature.

The Coathangers – ‘Hurricane’
The Coathangers are both inspirational as a band and people. I’ve had the privilege to open for them and got a chance to hang out with them; both their performance and their supportive attitude and words to me really struck a chord. They are cool, cuddly and gave me good advice. I choose ‘Hurricane’ because I love Rusty’s voice and the song is just like them, badass and corky!

Åsa – In taking on the task to list five personal anthems, I felt bound to retrieve some of the songs of my youth. Of course, this leaves out a lot of songs that hold meaning for me. However, my adolescent and young adult life framed my interest in music and woke my desire to perform on stage. So here’s my list, in no particular order – all holding equal weight in their meaning to me:

Dead Moon – ‘It’s O.K.’
Dead Moon are one of my favourite bands of all time. The song ‘It’s O.K.’ is, as for many others, the first song I ever heard of this iconic garage band. I can only hope to be as fierce on stage as Toody after the age of retirement.

Raooul/Skinned Teen – ‘Spirit of ’78’
As a young punk I of course listened to all the women and queers that had managed to “break through” within the scene. Several of whom would have made this list if I had gotten this quest of listings anthems as a member of one of my other bands. This band, however was truly life changing for me. I got the split record with Raooul and Skinned Teen at the age of 14 and it hit me with a blast.

Thee Headcoatees – ‘Wild Man’
One of the things I love with the genre of garage is the kind of sweet sound with rough edges. Girlsville was the first record of this end of the genre, it has this sound with a clear feminist vibe – of course my teenage self was hooked.

PJ Harvey –  ‘To Bring You My Love’
Let England Shake and The Hope Six Demolition Project are probably two of the records I have listened to the most in later years. However, as a young girl I was introduced to PJ Harvey through the records To Bring You My Love and Rid of Me. I truly believe she is one of the greatest musicians in rock music.

The 5, 6, 7 8s – ‘Motorcycle Go Go Go’
Before The 5,6,7,8s appeared in Kill Bill, my brother introduced me to this band, probably through one of the mixtapes that he gave me. They were my introduction to the surf part of the garage rock genres.

Thanks to Linda & Åsa for sharing their favourites! Check out their epic EP ROACHES!, which you can buy from Bandcamp now. Follow Roaches on Facebook and Instagram for more updates.

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LISTEN: I Am HER – ‘Big Monster’

Following 2018’s poignant Herstory, alt-punk outfit I Am HER are back with an angst-driven new single.

Reflecting on feelings of anxiety, ‘Big Monster’ oozes a captivating haunting power with shades of the gritty sounds of early PJ Harvey. Propelled by the soaring majesty of Julie Riley’s rousing vocals, it builds to a stirring frenzied anthem, driven by an impassioned force and raw emotion. Of the track, Julie explains:

“… this song was triggered by someone telling me their experience of an anxiety attack. It got me thinking how anxiety/stress is like a beast separate to us that stalks us and preys on us.”

Listen to ‘Big Monster’ now:

 

Catch I Am HER playing live for us tonight at The Finsbury, along with Piney Gir, Grawl!x and Captain Handsome. All for free!

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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PREMIERE: Kate Stapley – ‘Hermit’

“I’ve been pissing like a racehorse,” confesses Bristol-based songwriter Kate Stapley on the opening lyric of her new single ‘Hermit’. It’s a blunt beginning, but her soft voice quickly draws listeners in to her poignant, slightly hungover reflections on allowing yourself to be tender again in a new relationship.

Set for release via Breakfast Records on 6th December, ‘Hermit’ forms part of a Double A-side, with both songs produced by Oliver Baldwin (Aldous Harding, PJ Harvey). These tracks are the first that Stapley has shared since her 2018 EP, Centella, and they flow in her trademark vulnerable, yet optimistic vein.

“‘Hermit’ is a love song, celebrating those moments in a relationship when you finally have the bravery to embrace everything about yourself,” explains Stapley. “When you stop trying to hide the painful, embarrassing bits – realising you never needed to hide them in the first place.” Observations like this make Stapley’s music intimately disarming and effortlessly relatable.

“You suit me so well / You be my hermit / And I’ll be your shell,” she muses during the chorus, over gently plucked acoustic guitars, and soft percussion. The song’s patient rhythm feels reflective of the self-acceptance Stapley has discovered and it’s wonderful to hear her lay bare her insecurities, transforming them in to new found confidence.

Listen to ‘Hermit’ below, and be sure to check out her second track ‘Hours’ tomorrow when they’re both released via Breakfast Records.

Follow Kate Stapley on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Simon Holliday

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Film Preview: A Dog Called Money

As the sun fades to dusk in Kosovo, five different calls to prayer sing out over the city. Harmonious and discordant, PJ Harvey remarks, “I felt my soul open to the singing.”

PJ Harvey and Seamus Murphy have been collaborating for a decade. A Dog Called Money is their magnum opus; a politically and artistically-driven film shot over the course of three years. The pair visited Kosovo, Afghanistan, and the lesser-spoken-of suburbs of Washington DC, exploring misrepresented cultures overlooked by mainstream media.

In A Dog Called Money, Murphy splices these scenes with the recording of Harvey’s last record, The Hope Six Demolition Project. A further daring test to push her boundaries, Harvey recorded Hope Six in a specially-built studio at Somerset House. She then invited the public to come and watch the process. Laughs and jokes are shared, but not to the detriment of the worldwide issues that inspired the material. 

The film explores all aspects of Harvey’s process: the inspiration – those calls to prayer, baptisms, war, music; the recording – songs that made the album, songs that didn’t; and the notes she took while in the field. All of these make it to the screen. At one point, in Southeast DC, a boy takes Murphy on a tour of his neighbourhood, pointing out every spot where a member of his family was shot. At another, a group of children offer Harvey some tea. 

On 1st November, A Dog Called Money will be premiering at the Barbican Centre. As part of the Doc’n Roll Film Festival, the audience will be treated to a screening of the film and a Q&A with director, Seamus Murphy.

In a world where the UK doesn’t know what the fuck it’s doing, A Dog Called Money and its accompanying album, The Hope Six Demolition Project are timely insights into what really matters: art, music, and the fragile bonds of humanity.

A Dog Called Money premieres at The Barbican on Friday 1st November as part of Doc ‘N’ Roll Film Festival, with a Q&A featuring Seamus Murphy. More info here.

Em Burfitt
@fenderqueer

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