Slow Your Breathing, You Haven’t Got a Pulse

Pulled Apart By Horses - V.E.N.O.M

It’s early Monday morning, and you need something to get you ready for another day at whatever institution you’re a part of. It’s cold and dark outside, so you try to find a way to either revel in or escape the bleakness. Out comes your mp3 player, fingers snaking onto it’s buttons, slithering across the album covers of old favourites or whatever is in vogue.

Suddenly you remind yourself, “Didn’t Pulled Apart by Horses have a new single out this week?” YES! They did, it’s called V.E.N.O.M, I’d better listen, otherwise it might seem that I’m slipping behind the taste curve. I need to have an opinion about it.

The snake masquerading as your fingers suddenly strikes as you press play.

Sinking it’s teeth into your eardrums, as the newest sounds from the Leeds based post-hardcore quartet, coil themselves around your cochlea and squeeze. Smothering your sleepiness with the sort of primal energy that was once only the domain of The Stooges. Where the raw power being offered up is better than any cup of liquid crack Starbucks could ever fucking serve. Blowing the cobwebs off your morning and a music industry that seems so eager to reward dullness.

I don’t know if it’s me that’s sick or the industry itself, but if this is the venom, then I’d rather die than be given the antidote.

V.E.N.O.M is the first track from the bands forthcoming album, Tough Love, which will be making it’s way into stores on 23^rd January.

V.E.N.O.M. by editradio

The Subtext is Dire and The Sex is not on Fire

Eugene McGuinness - Lion

The NME / Top Man sponsored marketing machine that beguiles so many teenagers, had lured enough talented singer-songwriters into its shady midst over the last few years that i'd started to despair. So when I heard ‘Lion’ for the first time, I could almost see Eugene Mcguinness telling a room of the soulless executives to ‘sell their own fucking t-shirts’.

The new single is a gloriously vibrant (with added emphasis on the rant) unmasking of that deceitfully shallow world. A world that would welcome Eugene with open arms, and one that he whole heartily rejects. It has a similar 60’s pop rock sound that has served Miles Kane so well these past few months, but in the skilled hands of McGuinness it’s far more pleasing to the ear. The composition and metaphor filled songwriting are satisfyingly complex, delivered with hate filled energy at breakneck speed. Managing to forgo the endlessly repeating choruses that make Kane such a chore to listen to.

When asked about the meaning of track McGuinness stated "I really don't know what to say about this one, It's just meant to be the biggest 'fuck off' my soul could muster." Halle-fucking-lujah! So for now my faith in musician’s is restored. At least their are a few out there that value their music more than the money.

His forthcoming album, ‘The Invitation to the Voyage’ is due out in early 2012. To keep up to date with details of the album launch, sign up to his mailing list at http://www.eugenemcguinness.net/

Constellations Festival @ Leeds University Nov 12th

On the 12th November, an amazing all day festival of music, film and arts called Constellations is taking place at The University of Leeds Student Union. The line up includes Braids, Vessels, The Antlers, The Big Pink, Yuck and is headlined by local music heroes Wild Beasts. [edit] radio are going to be there taking in all the action and you should be too!

With such an array of talent on offer it's a wonder that the event isn't already sold out, but tickets can still be bought from the excellent Jumbo Records for £32, which is a bargain when you consider just how many great bands are on the line up.


The entire line up and running times can be download as a PDF here.

More information can be found at http://constellationsfestival.com/

To get you in the mood, here's a cut from Wild Beasts latest album: