SebaRashii is a legendary and prolific blogger, writer, artist and street culture freak from the mysterious land of Seba World. He likes nothing more than a good day of music, weirdness and downright madness with coffee. Readers, there is only one Seba Rashii. Tags: Leeds, Sheffield, Volcanoes, Volcanoes Interview
Volcanoes are unique. If any statement is more true this year, then I’ll eat the pixels they take up on this screen. Yes, this gang of – in the best possible way – weirdos, are crazy, amiable, possibly prone to delusions and partially from the creative hub that is Sheffield. But just because they’re from Sheffield, don’t pigeonhole them yet, because they may get rather angry and hypnotize you into doing things that may be illegal. Yet, despite the band name there were no explosions, volcanic or otherwise , in the course of this intensive grilling and I am proud to be able to provide you the answers to just how the band describe their brand of music, why they possess a blow up snow man, just what they would do if lava overwhelmed the world and why we may not hear their album for a while yet…
Greetings from Shout4Music! How’s life with Volcanoes?
Very good taa, we did a gig in Liverpool last week and I managed to play one of our songs in it’s entirety a fret down from the rest of the band. Other than that we’re belter.
Did your name come from being incredibly explosive or is there another explanation?
We were very close to being called ‘Shirles, Bed and the Volcanoes’ based on the acoustic act we’d evolved from. I guess we just cut the crap.
Is there something about the water in Sheffield that produces musicians or is it just a big coincidence that many bands have come from there?
Sheffield has a fantastically varied and thriving music scene. The Tramlines festival this year showcased loads of local artists all over the city. Sheffield completely buzzed that weekend and every venue was packed, it really is fizzing with talent right now. I’m sure there are quite a few bands from the region that are going to get much more attention over the next year, hopefully including us.
How would you describe your music?
Laserbeamed Indie Jungle Juice…
We sing about anything and try to make it entertaining and great. We’re like an anti Snow Patrol
You’re based between Sheffield and Leeds . What is the best thing about the Sheffield and Leeds music scenes and why?
The best thing is that it’s pretty easy to find musicians, form a band and get gigs. This is also the worst thing as it’s a nightmare trying to compete with 10+ other gigs on any given night.
How did you all meet and when did the band come together?
I knew Boa from 6th Form College in Hereford we went our separate ways at Uni but he got a call one morning and I asked him to take up bass guitar and help us out; he immediately obliged and moved from Nottingham to Sheffield.
Shirles, I met at Uni and we formed an acoustic act called Shirles and Bed that later became Volcanoes.
Ash we downloaded from the internet when we needed a drummer
Do you have an obsession with Ping Pong or is it just the photo shoot?
Both Shirles and Boa represented Great Britain in their teenage years, weird.
How’s the album coming along and what can we look forward to hearing on it?
The album huh, well to be fair we could lay one down tomorrow if we thought it would sell. We’re well aware that this whole music industry is a bit of a game and there’s no point releasing something that no-one’s going to hear about. Yeah we could shift about 300 copies but we’d kind of like to move on from that when we release an album. So I guess what I’m trying to say is for now we’ll save an album until we get some decent backing, until then we’ll aim to raise our profile with further EP releases.
What are your less obvious influences in making music?
OCD – I had a rancid time with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder a few years back. Although it left me feeling a bit shitty from time to time, one theory is that OCD is a twist on an overactive imagination so I got quite good at coming up with song ideas.
Tell us something about Sheffield that is just plain odd and surprising.
It is the birthplace of The Queen of Sheeba and was once part of Atlantis.
A review of your E.P. suggested that the world will soon be covered in molten lava it was that good. What would be your first act upon discovering the world covered in lava?
I’d check my pants to make sure that it was actually lava and not the result of a bad Kebab. After discovering (to my relief) that it was indeed lava and not poo, I’d shed a tear for my lost brethren and then return to the space battleship Ziashiivek for conquests a new.
To Boa, is Boa Internationale your real name, or are you possibly lying to us?
I never lie.
What’s your process for writing songs? Your lyrics for a start are quite unique…
Thank you very much for listening to them, I honestly put a lot of effort into them and try to make them er….good. I bet most folk never listen to them, and just dance to the beat.
One thing I hate is bands/musicians who just sing about fucking relationships and how confused and difficult it all is. I don’t believe for one minute that anyone really analyzes their love life that much and I think they just want to sell records or they are tedious fools with no actual point…..sorry about that
Life is actually excellent and we try to write about it from all sides. Obviously some tunes are a bit shady so we’re not super happy all the time. I approach music from the Beatles angle, our music isn’t incredibly complex but we have songs and not just tunes. Know what I mean?
Can you use words alone to force me to buy your favorite album?
My fav album of all the time???
OK here it goes…
Look into my eyes, not my eyes these words, these words look into these words, these words and SLEEP. When you awake you will go into a record shop and purchase ‘Room On Fire’ by the Strokes, you will then pick a card at random…..
(Actually I already have that album! – Seba.)
You say that you enjoy the thrill of making music. Which is the best part, the writing or the recording?
The whole shebang, it’s mint watching a idea take form and even better when it only takes one practice from idea to hero tune. Recording is satisfying too because we work a lot harder on the tunes that are due to get recorded so they tend to get a bit better in the run up.
Do you have any rituals or lucky objects that you do before or keep on you during live performances?
We used to have a blow up snowman but it pissed me off to be fair. I’ve alo worn a Snakeskin belt on two occasions when we’ve had a really shite gig, so I can’t wait to wear that again.
Who would be in charge of the world if you could have such a person and why?
Michael Flatley – come on….he’s quality.
If you could play a gig anywhere in the world, where would that place be?
Right now, I’d like a gig at Koko in Camden but I don’t know if I can be arsed asking again. Dude without us having to lick any nuts, just give us a gig and if we’re shit don’t invite us back. What a world.
Do you believe in the theory that every action has an effect and what effect would your music have on the world ideally?
Yes I believe in that. Right now I hope we’ve inspired one or two youngsters to pick up a guitar and start off their own story. I hope that we can give many more folk a chunk of the good times if we get a bit better known xxx
Finally, any last words of wisdom for our beautiful readers?
Yes.
Er…Thank you Volcanoes!
(Editors Note: These guys are actually pretty damn good!)
If I was to ask somebody to watch me bleed, I doubt they’d be very entertaining of my offer. But if Kick To Kill were to offer, I’m sure there’d be a raft of people eager to take them up on their generous offer. And, indeed this single is a good basis for such an offer as it does exactly that in a manner that would certainly get many people in the mood for the abrasive, dirty sound that this nihilistic song is built on. Reminiscent of The Stooges’ pure rock and roll ethos, singer Dave Cook gives a performance so convincing you almost can picture the blood flowing out of his veins as the guitars fuzz, the drums bang and the rock gets harder. Amidst their dirty sound it has deceptively smooth production to it all, a pulsing beat and probable guitars smashing against any near bye walls. Perfect for a head banging session like none before ‘Cut Me’ really will literally cut you off from your idea of music and get you rocking out like you’re in a club with The Stooges in their heyday.
Whether this song will follow in the steps of it’s boldly given appellage is up for debate, but Moscow Drive have definitely made a good start to their career with this gently energetic guitar driven song that wants us to appreciate what we have or or find something that we truly can appreciate. A good sentiment for a debut single, because someone will surely discover this and grow to appreciate the simple and clear values that are on offer even if it isn’t groundbreaking or particularly innovative. This is not however a disservice, as its simplicitydoes not serve as a slice of melancholy to our collective ear. The passion in the lyrics deliver aim to deliver a meaningful message rather than moan on about how bad their lives are in rhyming couplets. And ultimately one would certainly hope that this song gets somewhere near colossal for it’s chorus alone!
If Shabby Rogue were really Secret Agents, they’d be in trouble for telling us about it, but on the showing of this wonderfully bizarre single, they’d have my protection if they were. Maybe it’s the energetic pace of the song that could easily qualify as it’s own dance if put to movement, or maybe it’s the songs relative brevity that makes it so listenable in the end. But there is definitely inspiration present in the mix as the suitably spy-moviesque melodies mix up with the lyrics that were apparently inspired by a drug addled period of paranoia according to singer Shaun Litton, who channels every bit of his nervous energy into making this song the paranoid surf rock spy tune that it is. The remarkable thing about ‘My Life As A Secret Agent’ is that it quite literally tells a story that isn’t pretty, remarkable or even that interesting in these modern times and yet the listener feels a sense of edgy artistry that transcends the events that inspired it. And it all makes good of the anxiety, paranoia and drug abuse that caused it in the first place. Nothing new in rock, but something we don’t hear much of these days.
If this album is very perplexing, it’s only in a way that makes you think of sinister ceremonies, dark candlelit festivals and masked cannibals doing their bit for the ecosystem. Well, it was mentioned it was rather perplexing. And, in it’s bewildering genre leaps and horrorcore jazz style(!) song titles, including what is possibly the bands answer to Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew with Bastard Brew, the band make an album that is short and sweet. Well, as sweet as songs like ‘Feed Me A Stray Cat’ can be, anyway. The albums jazzcore outlook is what stands out, but the listener could argue that a genre such as jazzcore is like treading a thin line between excess and perfection, and whilst Dr Slaggleberry do a good job with this all instrumental mini-album they could have done with emphasizing the jazz a little bit more and extending some of the jams to bring a satisfactory conclusion to what were turning into merely interesting pieces of music rather than genuinely enjoyable listening. Of course Dr Slaggleberry, like jazz itself, are a live phenomenon so take this album as a taster of their live performance and enjoy the experimental leanings of this talented band.
The acronym of this bands name is WTF, which is quite similar to what comes mind when listening to this single that comes into the world known as ‘Isle Of Dogs’. They purvey to play elements of grunge, rock , metal and hardcore on this single. And the expectation of such a mass of noise to make anything of substance other than just a mellay of unlistenable noise was not expected! But in our ill thoughts of what could happen -mistaken confidence maybe- for ‘Isle Of Dogs’ is actually very listenable, and the main reason is that it’s just one short burst of well thought out, well produced hybrid rock that clocks in at just under three and a half perfect minutes of surprising clarity. Clarity is not the only strong point here, it is also the well formed emotive maturity of the bands sound that makes the ears listen closer, especially to the obvious talents of hardcore vocalist Jack, who like all the group, has no second name, apparently(!). With a song like this, you could expect the future to be bright. You may find yourself uttering that same acronym yourself very soon!
There are so many bands that claim to be punk, and unlike most of those sketchy sub genre groups, this group have a sturdy hold on the melodious genres of chiming alternative pop and sufficiently grunge like riffs that will keep the most avid listener interested and the casual listener from flicking the forward button idly. Why? Well, despite the stereotypes of the punk genre, their vocalists are more than worthy of the title, their music isn’t straight ahead thrashing like pure punk and they have a good sense of when to be out and out punk and when to be melodious. There isn’t one track that is unlistenable on Law Found Guilt, and for a band that have been playing together for ten years, they have lost none of the edge that traditionally wears away with age. The best thing about this album is that the melodies bring a definite human edge, despite the occasional heavy riffs and production which almost pits the two sounds against each other, and the songs that stand out from the pack are surprisingly un-punk like, (the acoustic ‘Within Reach’), giving us an album that is perfect for chilling out and moshing up! Wow!
The word “presents” preceded by the name of a DJ written on an album can sometimes strike fear into even the hardened of listeners, and with due cause in the era of the compilation, that has no point or cohesion. But this time, it’s not a calamity, it’s a triumph of aural sophistication! ‘Wild Angels’ can be almost muzak like at times -almost- but this can be forgiven when the whole album is sequenced to perfection and sounds like the DJ from a top notch London club has come to yours for a very cool mix session! From the opening track, Mark Pritchard’s ‘?’ you are taken on a transatlantic ride through the vibrant dubstep, hip-hop, soul and electronica scenes that will leave you seriously impressed with the vast soundscape on offer on one disc and more than ready to chill out at the nearest reputable lounge bar! I could go on, but it’s better to wrap your ears around this compilation that actually made my evening when I put it on for the first time. Slip something confortable on, dim the lights and enjoy this very listenable compilation from Mary Anne Hobbs.
“Can we get the lights turned down please? This music is meant to be heard in the dark…”
Terrorhawk release their debut EP entitled ‘Now I’m Content’ which solemnly breathes their hardcore ethics, packaged into this explosive snippet of an EP. But what is instantly apparent is the formula that makes Terrorhawk’s songs sound all too much alike. And furthermore, although their raucous sound can be jaw dropping, the tall tales, science and mood swings Terrorhawk fans were looking forward to are mixed almost completely out of comprehension, which is a pity. The curiously titled ‘Bird Song Chromatography’ and ‘Dynamite Fight’, sounds indeed like a fight with a lot of dynamite, are simple, exhibiting thrashing riffs and are undoubtedly very listenable, indeed in their brevity. The remaining tracks fail to rip any proverbial trees from their roots, as they lack a sense of melody that would glue the already good components together and make a better record instantly. Because fundamentally the lyrics demand a better chance to actually be understood. When taking onboard the knowledge that Terrorhawk don’t like to take things too seriously, this is a good head jolt of an EP but nothing more than that.
