Picture this: a dimly lit Railway Tavern pub in Couch End, rain hitting the window glass like long fingernails rapping, thunder and lightening strikes casting silhouettes onto the walls, and I - eternally tired goth - sitting down talking music, psychology and Dostoyevsky with two of Dead Writers, a band whose music would make a perfect soundtrack for the experience.
Read MoreApril 2023 really was a #PopOfTheTops MOMENT. Zeenagers Expo is GO!
#TheZineUK infamous travelling circus, Music People Party, returned to this documentary’s place of creation celebrating an art punk social, in the iconic Amersham Arms. “Big stages are the ones for me…” (Mango In Euphoria).
Good evening New Cross, let’s PARTY! Pic by Dizzy Spell.
Looking forward with a newer wave of alternative sounds, EVERY set brought their entertainment game for an awesome audience who mirrored the on stage engagement with their own cheers and moves. The feedback, still coming, is amazing; “life affirming” (industry scene-shaker, Meli Foris)
Sadly, indie jazzpunx, Brie, were unable to play but gladly the remaining line up proved (oi, non diversifying fest bookers!) that female musicians ROCK.
Poptastic songs emitted with a stripped down set, Jean Genie & Jonny Hayes showcased magical, melodic stories of reality in surreal times. JG, “Bringer Of Sunshine”, set the tone for an uplifted evening with expansive tunes.
All tonight’s performances were loaded with potential, so emitted an infectious confident joy.
Jean Genie - a living song. Photo by Dizzy Spell.
Music lovers came from as far as Wales and The Midlands to New Cross. It warms the heart that they already want to return to this welcoming space as part of the show. Bless the interdependent grassroots music venue circuit.
Tonight, Amersham Arms is twinned with The Ferret in Preston by the Massive Hugs latest (artivist, radio air played) single, ‘Ray Of Hope (Ferret Forever)’. It’s also linked to The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch, by the next band, discovered through a song before they played a launch there at the end of last year. Yes please, you can never have too much soaring drama.
The Outers are a lively live thrill. Photo by Dizzy Spell.
The Outers are groovy and magnetic with occasional tints of Blur and Blondie but an operatic punky energy of their own. After catching them in December, they were another must for tonight’s show. An interactive indie rock party who made some new friends this evening, they’re also setting up for new releases. Watch their (s)pace!
Coming across new faves like that, TheZineUK doc works via kismet, karma, magick and just wanting to stage a recommendable event. The next set being another case in point - a last minute addition to a Kick Out The Jams show in Autumn 2021.
Now a released recording artist, London’s glam-punked disco diva is back at Amersham Arms by request and packing punchy tunes in the process.
Mango In Euphoria, disco queen. Photo by Dizzy Spell
If I was a festival booker, Mango In Euphoria, The Outers and Jean Genie’s Massive Hugs would be on the line up of our stage. They suit indie-rock, alt-pop events with an inclusive party atmosphere.
This ain’t just excitement speaking. There were an array musical peers and future-movers at the show. There’s a reason that ‘Hollywood’, the latest Mango In Euphoria single, is hitting all the right notes with independent media and radio feedback.
Could have heard a pin drop for the song ‘Radio Waves’. Jean Genie’s Massive Hugs by Dizzy Spell.
Next month, sussed festival bookers, Kick Out The Jams and End Of The Trail have snapped up Mango’s and Jean Genie’s powerful live sets for two 3 Day Free Festivals in Brighton. Both multi-tasking promoters have impeccable show scouting/artist connecting reputation.
I had kinkyboot envy of Ade, lead singer of The Outers, TheZineUK editor, Dizzy Spell always sports a head turning outfit, Kat Five is a consistent metallic shimmer of glamour and I couldn’t help but notice how sparkled ALL the live sets were this evening. Musicians making rock n roll dreams of the newer wave kind, live on stage. Like a TV show. That’s uniqulture’s fertile environment of “couldn’t make it up, so just live it”, for ya.
So much MOVE-ment in this movement! Photo by Dizzy Spell.
Great to see Lisa Knight (busy PR and photographer currently on tour with The Kut), Meli Foris of Play It Loud UK (photography, promotions), the above mentioned Kat Five (artist - Feral Five - and techtastic space vixen), John McKiernan Platform 7 Events (virtual dimension technology and arts collaborations), musicians Anita Maj of Lil Minx Records, Ceri James and Alex Wonderland in the house. There was more photography by Neil Anderson (98 Wounds) and as ever, the supportive care of the venue and staff. (cheers Andy and Richard).
The legacy of future making was invigorated by this convention of invention.
The #MusicPeopleParty (December 2017) began #TheZineUK cast and crew's step up into the surreal serendipity of situationism that kicked off in 2018 and forms #Zeenagers - a multi media expo being created between Spring 2023 and Spring 2024 - of the last five (WTF) years,especially. There was an audiovisual slideshow from #TheZineUK documentary on the big screen, then images and clips from tonight will be part of future projections. Appreciation for all there in spirit and support.
The original Pop Of The Tops club (artists, faeries, punks etc) was killed off after a year to "Stay Beautiful" but still inspires fresh ideas. Twisting tuned tales with uplifting energy and chic!
Mango In Euphoria https://linktr.ee/mangoineuphoria by Dizzy Spell
The best thing is that Paul Joyzine has been part of it all. Now one of independent music culture’s most influential standards, Joyzine celebrates twenty years of influence. Down the front for Bloc Party, Art Brut etc at the original Pop Of The Tops and again for these emerging names!
Generation Tremorists of all backgrounds come together, weave a DIY art show, laugh with escapism. In short, Zeenagers Expo is Go! We’re OI (organic intelligence) so it’ll remain chaotically tangented. Phew.
Everybody mentioned above? Find them over the next few days via our social media https://linktr.ee/thezineuk
As a documentary, #TheZineUK doesn’t function on the chart/competition December/January Listmas format of music sites any more than running regular reviews etc. The following names are from on line conversations, What’s App and gig chats. Nowt from December’s version of Twitter.
As usual, doing our own situationist thing outside “how it’s supposed to be done” and social media trends, the story evolves organically outside of major hype but noticeably. From this tapestry, there are Weekend Recovery, Cold Water Swimmers, Feral Five and Cross Wires amidst albums coming in 2023. Bands who are creating notable legacies for their names.
If you’ve ever been aware of our Picture Story Diary Doc (first uploaded Spring 2014), you’ll notice the Fertile Environment seeding in a variety of real time. Some developing into unimaginable moments that, when they happen, make total and deserved sense. Bands come, go, evolve, get on, sod off as things go right or wrong. When wider attention hits, ya love to see it, right?
Decolonise Fest stars Big Joanie, Nova Twins and Bob Vylan playing this year’s Glastonbury Festival and being half of the inaugural MOBO altnernative music group nominations this year, is a strong case in point.
There are so many more of our cast and crew from TheZineUK pages and socials! We couldn’t make it up. We don’t have to. Bang Bang Romeo toured with Pink, False Heads in the charts, Benefits all over the place. Here’s 42 Seconds of The Mysterines interview early 2020. They’re on tour with Arctic Monkeys in 2023.
Working Class women of wide spectrum of backgrounds, powered (with Tory-unfriendly-heritages and political views) TheZineUK’s 2023 adores the diversity of generation tremorists (i.e. all ages, it’s the 21st century!) in the vanguard of a newer wave music industrious movement.
Big up the grassroots venue circuit, the likes of Music Venue Trust and Independent Venue Community and please play respect to all the technicians, promoters, producers, presenters, DJ and expanded fun-fam of media/industry and audiences support that makes this a genuine game changing era. The documenting by photographers, writers and film makers is incredible. The illustrations and graphics are part of the exhibiton. We need each other.
This music site x events creator may be only a small “Rocking Pebble” or “New Whimsical Express”, but our inclusion ain’t delusion. Everybody’s invited, watch all their/our spaces.
2018. That time the legendary promoter and connector, Kick Out The Jams (rock n roll circus) hosted a night of good mixing that has become one of music’s “I Swear I Was There” moments. Roger Kent of Kent and his extended fam of fun signed off with a final event in December 2022 but is a space worth watching for future hopes. The line ups helped to fuel what is happening. It’s All Happening!
Uniqulture’s tapestry weaves through the interaction, co-promotion and collaboeration of friends, strangers or otherwise. We’ll document 2023 with a view to creating the Zeenagers Expo from the reality of soundtracking escapism from dystopia’s now and next…
Gen and the Degenerates wowing This Feeling’s Leeds/London festival ReWired in August. Spotting members of JW Paris in the crowd, this is one of the live music clubs where musicians and their followers make friends with like minded souls. Another reason for the fertile environment starting to really take seed.
Anna Wolf
Arxx
Bugeye
Cobain Jones
Coco and the Lost
Colossus
Dictator
Eternum Joy
Fitzroy Holt
Gen and the Degenerates
gglum
Glytsch
Hotwax
JW Paris
Kill The Icon
Lime Garden
Lufe Tempo
Mango In Euphoria
Megan Wyn
Nadia Sheikh
Noah and the Loners
Ramona Marx
Ruby J
Small Miracles
Something In The Lake
Spangled
Teenage Sequence
The Dead Freights
The Kairos
The Molotovs
The Now
The Outers
The Velvet Hands
Venus Grrrls
Weekend Recovery
Wharves
February 2022, caught Arxx at The House Of Vans Next Generation shows and later in the year at Croydon’s As The Cro Cro Flies. Exceptional bands that rock with credible composition and performance abilities. There’s a lot of DIY development since the new world began in 2020 vision. As we adapted together we have created brighter possibilities for balance.
Adwaith 'Bato Mato'
Arctic Monkeys 'The Car'
Asylums 'Signs Of Life'
A Void 'Call Of The Void'
Bait 'Sea Change'
Beabadoobee ' Beatopia'
Berries 'How We Function'
Big Joanie 'Back Home'
Black Country, New Road 'Ants From Up There'
Bob Vylan 'The Price Of Life'
Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard 'Backhand Deals'
Deux Furieuses 'Songs From Planet Earth'
Dry Cleaning 'Stump Work'
Enjoyable Listens 'The Enjoyable Listen'
Fontaines D. C. 'Skinty Fia'
Ghum 'Bitter'
Gwenno 'Tresor'
Johnny Marr 'Fever Dreams'
Kid Kapichi - 'Here’s What You Could Have Won'
Louis Tomlinson 'Faith In The Future'
MOSES 'I Still Believe! Do You?'
Nova Twins 'Supernova'
Peaness 'World Full Of Worry'
Pillow Queens 'Leave The Light On'
Rina Sawayama 'Hold The Girl'
Sinead O Brien 'Time Bend And Break The Bower'
Soccer Mommy 'Sometimes Forever'
The Assist 'Council Pop'
The Linda Lindas 'Growing Up'
The Shop Window 'A 4 Letter Word'
The Snuts 'Burn The Empire'
The Smile 'A Light For Attracting Attention'
Wet Leg 'Wet Leg'
Witch Fever 'Congregation'
Wynona Bleach 'Moonsoake'
We doff our documenting cap to Simon Williams of Fierce Panda. In the newer wave are a wealth of 1990s shapers involved with guiding, while learning from, up and comers of the scenes. The beauty of generation tremorists is ideas and experience exchanging excitedlly. A revision of the widespread zoomer-v-boomer division. Instead, the tunes go zoom, results go boom. Woven into our tapestry, respect to you all!
Thanks for reading/creating/performing/supporting this genuine arts movement.
Dizzy Spell (Editor)/Caffy St Luce (Events)
JPGs of above mentioned artists:
ever evolving