NOW WE ARE SIX

Documentary? Situationism? Immersive Theatre? Comedy? Tragedy?

Last year TheZineUK celebrated five years since first uploading Chapter 1 of the diary story in Spring 2014 (the same year that various grass roots music instigations also arrived – maybe there was something in the air)…

So much has happened that this doesn’t feel based in reality sometimes. Are we a rock opera movie? Almost, Almost Famous?

And as for all the BS in the background that passes as real life… One thing is for sure by collaborating and co promoting our friends have created new futures.

Chapter 1 (click and flick) was photographed and created by Rupert Hitchcox, now at Joyzine and the Hard Rock Cafe (among many more achievements). #MusicWomen statement of intent cover with Rhiannon The Nightmare smashing it at the Natural History Museum.

Back page is a scene from TryLifeTV. Teen rockers, Floodliners, are sitting on the bar of Amersham Arms during a club scene (which members of The Caress also appear in). TryLife is now an international, youth powered, interactive drama and tech phenomenom with over seven million fakebook followers alone, plus Ted Talks, Social Media HQ meetings, the works. Well done them.

Amersham Arms remains one of London’s most creative community centres and has one of alternative entertainment’s best stages. ArtBeat central with the gallery upstairs, too.

Georgia of Floodliners went on to be one half of Nova Twins. We totally stan. Recently at Neighbourhood Festival in Manchester.

Eternally running in a circle, TheZineUK’s sixth year begins with readership still growing and the Interdependent Music Industry looming into focus. 

It was great to catch up with Rupert again last night at The Camden Mix Up. Fred from Saytr Play, too. 

Kelly’s band, The Institutes were also on the line up (headlined by Marisa and The Moths) and opening were UK Paint Horse fronted by the enigmatic, effervescent and multi-talent-tasking, Peggy From Earth. 

Smiley of The Underclass was doing the door and it was another friends united fest to follow up Full Moon Weekend’s partying at Modern Age Music and This Feeling. 

It feels like TheZineUK is onto and into something. We will keep creating and reporting. Thank you for reading, and being part of this story. See you at Future Picks on 29th January (London)?

Words: Caffy St Luce

FUTURE PICKS, 29TH JANUARY, ISLINGTON

Punky Rock from MOSES,  Americana from 
RtN Makes Music, presented by Louise Schofield creating with TheZineUK and friends at Islington’s legendary Hope And Anchor

Still grinning from our Music People Party, this idea began while dancing to DJ Nineties Mike at the after show:

7-11pm,Wednesday 29th January. Hope and Anchor, 207 Upper St, London N1 1RL. 18+! £6 advance Tickets (+bf) via WeGotTickets *  Skiddle * Eventbrite. Access; basement venue. FB event for updates.

Arresting artists, Busy, buzzy, Creative crowd, Filmed. Dress up if you wanna. Ad lib future making.

MOSES are a global secret, armed with what sound like greatest hits, and the showmanship to perform them.

Seeds of a MOSES choir, Nov.’19, by Mike Rădulescu

With over five million streams in eighteen months of seasonal releases, tonight begins a big year which opens with next single, ‘Who Needs The Money?’ (Anti Fragile) sounding like an instant classic, again.

Art – from a painting by Ana Ban Ana

MOSES gigs are escapist, uplifting parties with a welcoming community. Bring your voices ( video; with their “choir”, joyfully at the previous London gig.

A song and charisma based line up, then. Special guest is RtN: Rhiannon The Nightmare. A woman in flux discovering herself and her music, RtN was a huge hit at TheZineUK’s fifth anniversary party. You betcha she’s back by return, previewing her debut solo release, and more.

https://www.instagram.com/rtnmakesmusic/

https://www.facebook.rtnmakesmusic/

Everything is at ease when you’re being interviewed by the amazing Louise Schofield.” (MOSES)

Last Summer, our interview article remarked that Louise Schofield “fizzes with the essence of an Entertainment Supergrrrrl.” and that “You know you’re probably at the right event, if her friendly energy is helping to light it up.”

Hard working tech and media instigator, via her YouTube channel and Unique Lullaby music blog, Louise has conducted over 200 artist interviews at myriad gigs/festivals. 

She also presents at BBC, National Film Awards (backstage reporting with Idris Elba and Jo Brand), Green Man Festival, Festival No.6 (for BBC Radio Wales), Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape, Swn Festival) etc.

A writer, comedian and actor who regularly creates content for online channel – BBC SESH… Louise is our host for the evening.

https://louiseschofield.co.uk/

Plot: DIY sociable media + Document x Affordable entry x share income = Real time crowd funding.

Background; Consistent Future Picks radar. Our first Music People Party DJ (Katie Owen, 2017) presented two December 2019 shows on Radio 1. The Velvet Hands, who played live that year, supported Liam Gallagher (who recommends another of our contributors, journalist Susan Hansen) and Paul Weller in 2019. We recommend potential.

Magick: This venue has the words HOPE and ANCHOR. Zeenager themes.

Likened to “the London CBGBs”, this basement is a mecca for music fans. 

Home to Joy Division’s London debut and Keane’s first gig, alumni include Stiff Records, The Damned, X-Ray Spex, The Specials, The Clash, Steel Pulse, The Cure, The Jam, Madness, Adam And The Ants, The Pogues, The Only Ones, Squeeze, The Police, XTC, Ramones (plus that infamous two men, one dog, U2 gig!)

Some cool past picks there

We also live for NOW. 

… and really do MEAN Future Picks!

Get involved with the artists. Look out for what we create this evening, coming soon. On the outside, looking out, TheZineUK is a fertile environment influenced by Talent and Potential.

Words: Caffy St Luce

COUPLES – OUTER VIEW, INTERVIEW.

“Our music is for us”. 

No end/start of year lists at TheZineUK. Our ongoing story proves it’s tips. Still though, we suggest that you get rock alternators, Couples, on your a.s.a.p. must hear/see bucket list!

Henry Yeomans, Millie Ritchie, Jaime Bravo, Conor Collingwood and Tamsin Wickens photographed by Quinn Humphreys

It’s no secret how there is a noticeable adoration for this London five piece from quite a few of TheZineUK crew. Stand alone musicality emitting grunge strewn, post-“Post-Punk” engagement. Washes of ambience, waves of groove, tangos of tempo from musical and vocal instruments orchestrating a blissfully addictive presence. Therapeutic primal live show release.

Organically woven into the Fertile Environment. 

In Feb. 2017, The Velvet Hands played a support slot at Camden Monarch for Mark Beaumont (NME, The Guardian). Couples‘ singer, Conor, is down the front in our video clip, Newer Wave vibrations, man…. 

December 2019, swapped places at The Music People Party with The Velvet Hands down the front for fellow Cornwall rockers, The Rezner, and headliners, Couples. These multi layered and faceted groups are all part of a genuine NOW happening. 

The Velvet Hands tipped us off about Couples, and the clincher was in Feb. 2018: Simon Williams of our allies, Benumu, jumped on a megabus to Cardiff with Dizzy and Caffy (for The Blinders – we met up with Bill from God Is In The TV, there). What better way to chat exciting new bands than on a punked safari! Two days later, we were down the front, “Instantly smitten” with catching Couples at Benumu live.

The threads of this tapestry weave and achieve. Music fans working as artist allies, firm up the interdependent circuit, industry and media. Seeds are starting to bloom. 

Couples articulate the times. High of relevance, ‘Rip ‘Em Out’, is a dynamically youthquake dynamite anthem of Resistance.

Listen to Rip 'Em Out on Spotify. Couples · Song · 2018.

End of 2020 interview with guitarist, Tamsin:

“You’ve been moving fast throughout the music scene? What are the next plans for 2020?”

“Well, in 2020, we all graduate university, so we’re hoping to really step things up from that point. We just signed to management at End Of The Trail Creative, which we’re all excited about and we’re confident that will bring some great opportunities our way. 

Other than that, we’re still very aware that we have a single and an EP that we’ve been teasing for a while, so to get some releases out will be our main goal.”

This is all good news, plus more of our allies and fave artists finding each other is a bonus! Small music venues are where to be.

“Do you find at times, that some of the biggest irritations in the industry, also help to drive you in creating music?”

“Yeah, for sure. When we first started we hit a lot of brick walls which was quite frustrating but I think as we get a bit older and our music gets better we don’t really think about the ‘industry’. 

We have some great people around us that have always been really supportive, so as long as that stays constant then we don’t really see the point in worrying about whether the music industry machine will accept us or not. Our music is for us.”

It sometimes feels like outsiders of the machine are growing on kismet and compulsion. Musicals, like Couples, have freshened ways of working together. On a different topic to music…

“Any films you’ve really been into this year?”

‘Parasite’, ‘The Irishman’, ‘Marriage Story’, ‘Knives Out’ – to name a few ! We also really want to see ‘JoJo Rabbit’ when it comes out.”

“…and which bands are you currently enjoying?”

“We’re listening to a lot of YOWL at the moment. Their EP is a complete cracker – really great songs. They’re a band that Conor and me (Tamsin) have been watching for a really long time, so it’s nice to see them getting the recognition they deserve. As well as that, we’ve been listening to Swans, Tropical Fuck Storm, Black Country New Road, Sports Team, Protomartyr… There are five of us, so we collectively listen to a lot of different music.”

Gotta say that tropical fuck storm would also make a great description one band genre for Couples.

A collective amalgamate of sounds, simultaneously tearing and soldering gave Couples their busiest year so far including being part of the sold-out CroCroLand moment (picking up many new fans, including John Kennedy of Radio X, who played ‘Rip ‘Em Out’ on his show).

Plus The Brighton Mix Up (3 Day Festival at The Black Lion) and Live Circuit’s sold-out Halloween All Dayer.

Throughout the year they also played various Benumu shows including UK dates on their War Child / Orange Amps tour. Mancunion reported, “Couples are undoubtedly on the cusp of a whirlwind pilgrimage into the depths of the alternative industry.” Spot on.

Camera: Brodie Rake & Alexandre Barbareau Sound: Alex Brown Edited: Brodie Rake

2019 ended with The Blinders (For The Many tour) then headlining The Music People Party. Couples are out choice to kick the next decade’s arse and their stunning set was really something to witness, laying the foundations of resistant, furious fun. So…

“Any new music coming from Couples?”

“YES! We’ll get our shit together in the new year and release a single, then an EP after that.”

“If you had one goal to achieve in 2020, what would it be?

“Releasing an EP is something we really want to get done, just so we can tour it and play live with more of a narrative behind us. At the moment they’re just songs and we’d quite like to contextualise that, even if only in our own heads. Book-ending what we’ve written and moving on to write more.”

Described as “a revelation” by Little Indie Blogs, this is one of the bands that our team dig, deeply and excitedly. Our allies, also. Look out for a filmed interview which Louise Schofield TV did at The Music People Party with these personable musicians. Watch this space. 

On 23rd January, Couples are one of Modern Age Music’s  Ones To Watch 2020 (at The Social, Central London). Grab tickets to the start of their next chapters, here.

Image: Quinn Humphreys

Couples – Facebook * Instagram * Twitter.

Thank you so so much for the interviews and exhilarating live show, seeya again soon

2020S ROARING NEW MUSIC TRADE

A newer wave of entertainment, organically growing by collaboration. So much happening in Britain and Ireland’s interdependent rock n roll world that this decade is already flavoured.

Talking of SOMA, Modern Age Music are one of the interdependent promoters crossbred with various events, peers and, last year especially, Pistonhead Lager, Indie Central Music, Jack Wood (Radio X) and another riser, Louise Schofield!

Couples, Weekend Recovery, Drusila, Galaxy Thief,  
Record Street, Cafe Aspen, Aerial Salad and Saint Ivy are among stirling London / Manchester Modern Age Ones To Watch 2020: https://modernagemusic.co.uk/

'Going Nowhere' from the upcoming album 'False Company' is available to buy/stream now! Buy Merch/ See all tour dates here at www.weekendrecovery.co.uk Strea...

Situationism has gifted us a seminal, surreal entertainment business. We are living/documenting under an austerity inflicted radar. Interdependent fusions ooze positivity, trading talents and contacts, thus bolstering funding and sponsorship, if there’s any.

It’s no surprise that This Feeling is an artery at the heart of what’s exciting. Annual Big In fest zones are “The Brits of Buzz”.

This Feeling need no hype/cock suck etc. Our annual recommendation is GRAB TICKETS QUICK. Big In 2020 will sell out! Nice one TF, Red Stripe and Pirate Studios.

When TheZineUK began (with punk’n’poetry) sheeple cynics were still bleating “guitar music is dead”. We weren’t having that bollocks, and neither was the nation’s biggest, socially inclusive music lovers zone, This Feeling. 

Now we’re all part of a rising thrill with no piss-poor contrived “backstories”. It’s all too real for us.  
Some of us gotta break glass ceilings to stay fed and sheltered, let alone afford to live the music lives we’re born to. No rage, no fresh ideas. How the fuck we’re still in this, I dunno. But 2020, bring it ON. We’re stronger (and creating fun)

Over the last few years, especially, more working-class artists got onto festivals and hard-pressed talent proved their vital urgency truly entertains. This Feeling have helped to improve the musical landscape with essential tours/gigs nationwide.

Dream Nights - EP OUT NOW https://lnk.to/DreamNights https://ivorywaveuk.com Uptown (Official Video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPYTlwJLCk0 Directed b...

Paths cross in guitar band world. Ivory Wave headlined Modern Age Ones To Watch 2019. After Big In 2020 they became Big Image.

I really dig that Madame So is in the ‘Year of Rage’ video below, then played Kick Out The Jams‘s Camden Mix Up the month after deux furieuses. launched their hugely applauded second album ‘Year Of Rage’, completely appropriate for NOW.

Taken from second album My War is Your War by deux furieuses which is released 18 October 2019 via Xtra Mile Recordings on LP/CD/DL. https://deuxfurieuses.ln...

Our Rock story is Future, and also Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Big Mama Thornton inspired. Diverse unity, social cohesion beyond gigs to friendship, much laughter and essential escapism.

Madame So supporting Sick Love at their first London headlined. Another superb Camden Mix Up.

Zeenagers range from teens – like Hive Mentality (who met MOSES travelling to play Kick Out The Jams) – to original punks like Bruno Wizard of The Homosexuals. Enriching our USP in an ageism age.

Generations unite (like TF regulars, The Velvet Hands, The Assist and Arcades, supporting The Bluetones). A couple of years ago, Mark Morriss of the Britpop chart toppers, was down the front for pre-2019-stadium thrilling Bang Bang Romeo when they graced This Feeling’s stage at The Roundhouse for Music Venue Trust Fightback.

Saw Mark again at the end of December. Beard has gone, the voice, fans, charm and style remain!

People over 40. STFU that you have “seen/heard it all before”.

When was the last time we were rocking love and peace in a climate emergency endangered, fascist coup with amoeba-brained puppets trying to start world war 3? Bore off – or get in a gig with us and get a (good) life. Bloody beautiful new sounds twisting Dystopia’s melons, man.

Official video for new single 'Way Out' by Big Joanie Taken from their debut album 'Sistahs', released by The Daydream Library Series in November 2018. Order...

Musical activists from this tapestry wage resistant love; like Big Joanie and The Tuts. December’s For The Many Tour included – The Pagans S.O.H., Couples, Sisteray, The Novus and Bobby Strangebones – joining The Blinders. Better to try and fail, than fail to try. Love them all extra for this. Fuck The Tories, still, though.

STRANGE BONES are something else. Understatement. A 21st century phenomenon

We start 2020 with hundreds of friends finding each other. Unforgettable adventures keep coming.

Nationwide, gig friends recognise faces. Artists, fans, bloggers, independent industry… Audiences are the essential part of what sometimes feels like we’re in a movie. A few even become crew. We document a movement of hanging out MOMENTS.

This counter culture party is warm, welcoming, imperfect but never dull. Great to see Arxx, The Mysterines, Zuzu, Inhaler and Arlo Parks in the NME 100 for 2020. A media name that their parents may have read. Ace, also to see the line ups on this page. The tips exchanged by interdependent writers, photographers, film makers, promoters, bar gigglers and crazy dancers, are equally valid and often ahead.

I rounded off 2019 with the band that kicked off The Camden Mix Up, Smiley & The Underclass. You may have met Smiley on the door at Kick Out The Jams events, nice quiet lad. Gets on stage fronting “the dub Clash”, heroes of the growing Wonderclass, and the place goes wild. I went with A&R (20th/21st century biz shakers, Andy Winters and KOTJ’s Roger Kent of Kent.  

You can’t hype scenes now people DIY their own and Mau Mau Bar was packed with 4REAL Vibration. A few days earlier in Cologne…

Filmed at Freedom Sounds Christmas Ball #3, 14. 12. 2019, Köln, Gebäude 9 by Jörg V.

Kick Out The Jams, itself, kicks arse on 16th January with a mid month shindig and a half to start a year that’s already looking huge, as previously mentioned.

Only £5 advance to be part of the Interdependent Music. This line up buzzes like amped up beehives.

I wouldn’t bother waiting for people who aren’t excited or at gigs to tell you what’s happening next. Follow some Music Tourist Board. Maybe start with the above, plus DecoloniseFest, CroCroLand, Loud Women, Get In Her Ears, End Of The Trail, Northern Exposure and Benumu and make your own minds up.

It’s what TheZineUK is about; an immersive performance theatre of drama and accidental comedy by romantic hearts and poetic souls. It takes years to develop skint careers. In our first five years, exceptional talent helped to seed a new entertainment network of potential. By the end of Pic book 1, Nova Twins hadn’t even formed yet. Rupert’s image from TryLifeTV club scene at Amersham Arms. Believe in and stand by your stars if you feel them twinkle.

The Music People Party is TheZineUK’s closest thing to end/start of year stuff. It felt like punk re-broke and charged our collective batteries. Joy, Sadness, Heroes, Villains, despair but especially HOPE soundtracked.

No offence to the mainstream. Congrats are due to anybody that can make it in Entertainment, but  
The Birmingham Music Awards tweets stole my attention 13 minutes into The Brits 2019. Each to their own audience and in this liar liar planet’s on fire era we need ear worm anthems.

Radio support has made a world of difference where no print weekly now exists. Blogs are rising (gwan Elly Bailey and Sahera Walker (Queen of Brick Lane with Werkhaus, too) on selling out limited print runs). Respect to all Indie sites that scout with panache and support with passion.

Music Women HAVING it! Equity for equality also from more of TheZineUK’s contributors; Susan Hansen is recommended by Liam Gallagher. Katie Owen starting 2018 presenting her first filmed interview for us, with The Velvet Hands, at This Feeling Big In 2018. She ended 2019 presenting on BBC Radio 1. A year when the band themselves supported Paul Weller and Liam Gallagher, stormed the festivals and played a sold out This Feeling tour).

Toby Mitchell of The Velvet Hands with The Music People Party DJ, Nineties Mike (This Feeling) belting out bangers.

We are all untypical.

'Interlude for the Borderline Unsettled' http://calvalouise.com https://instagram.com/calvalouise https://facebook.com/calvalouise https://twitter.com/calval...

Previously mentioned, Louise Schofield has a wealth of new projects this year. Watch out for interviews she recently made with us. The first live Future Picks happens in London on 29th January. £6 Tickets to be entertained, involved and supportive.

Interdependence. An exciting addition to Mainstream and Indie business. It feels like the Newer Wave is the most fun, escapist and loving community, right now…

Gonna leave you with a key concert. What The Novus did recently makes them one of the Planet’s most needed fresh forces. They built this set from scratch, promoted it like The original Blues Brothers movie and packed a Birmingham’s warehouse, reclaiming a global Rock Capital that burns increasingly brighter each year. #JoinTheNoise – of course they’re a TF Big In 2020 tip.

The Novus full concert @ The Quantum Center Birmingham 20/9/2019 To Follow Them: http://www.thenovus.co.uk/ Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thenovusban...

A myriad of creators, contributors, politics, education and events make resistance a Fertile Environment. Share each other’s news to grow your own story, and be HERE now. Peace wishes, and out.

p.s. Hmm. Nice decade. We’ll all take it to go, thanks.

Words: Caffy St luce

THE REZNER X LOUISE SCHOFIELD TV

The Rezner graced TheZineUK’s 5th birthday in March. We can’t them enough for returning to The Music People Party. That is some journey, Cornwall and back!

They truly delivered the goods – Big tunes and a confidently engaging show. Louise Schofieldcaught up with the band. Like she says, here, they’re ready for bigger stages…

Liam (bass guitar), Sam (vocals/guitar), Red (guitar/vocals), Zé (drums) in conversation…

2019 has been a whirl, absolute scenes on home turf with multiple shows for BBC Introducing, landmark festival slots, a Sum 41 support and much more. A few days after their Spring show for TheZineUK, debut single, ‘Mickey’, dropped and was greeted like the arse kicking saviour of a tune that it is.

Newly released, the follow up, ‘For Myself’, keeps the ball up high. Another roar-along instant rock classic that’s possibly even spikier. Vanguard sounds. What have The Rezner been up to since our most recent interview?

In their own words:

Louise Schofield is rising fast in our own right. Even after our Spring party, the next night she was on the red carpet with Idris Elba and Jo Brand! 

The Rezner headline Independent Venue Week/BBC Sounds, Truro February 1st. 

More from The Music People Party to come. Then a new Future Picks collaboration born on the dance floor that night (fuelled by DJ Nineties Mike and a load of red stripe!) Boom! 

Fertile Environment: The newer wave of artists, industry, tech and media are individually developing in unique ways and of such credible, interdependent potential. Over to you, 2020…

Words: Caffy St Luce