Hell's Belles

Vintage sounds, dusty grooves, and 21st-century freaks.

A band that writes snotty ear-bashing tunes about beatboxing is a band worth knowing about, and loving.

Boneyards (or is it BONEYARDS?) are from somewhere south – London or Brighton, I’m not sure – and will likely tickle you if you like Mazes, Thee Fair-Ohs, Flats or going back a bit further, The Mummies and bits of Bad Brains.  Which, being a fairly simple soul musically, I do.

Their cassette is available from what is another in a long line of brilliantly-named, t-shirt-worthy labels, Italian Beach Babes.  Said label is also responsible for the brilliant Wet Dog, who put out their record long pre-this blog, which has just reminded me that I should post something about them.

ANYWAY, they – BONEYARDS, that is – are supporting Novella at the Shacklewell Arms on Friday, which handily (for me, anyway) is on the 488 bus route, AND, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a mere THREE of your British pounds to get in.

Listen:
Snare Sneezer by BONEYARDS

Human Nature by BONEYARDS

One thing – wtf is with the cassettes?  They’re retro, but as a musical delivery medium, they are also shit.  Everyone knows wax cylinder is where it’s at.

…and the thugs tearing up London for the sake of an HDTV and a new pair of sneakers:

Butthole Surfers – Kuntz by hells-belles

 Butthole Surfers – Kuntz

Do you like the Cramps, Richard Hell and crocodile wrestling? Me too!

Have I got a band for you. Avail yourself of The Jacuzzi Boys and their Floridian fuzzy garage goodness.

They have a new album, Glazin’, heading our way over the bank holiday.  If it’s anything like their Bricks or Coconuts EP (two more items for the desert island bag), then we are in for a treat.
Jacuzzi Boys – Cool Vapors by hells-belles

Cool Vapors MP3

Sick Californian surf psych.  Brilliant videos.  Shitty school bus.  What’s not to love?

The Growlers will be playing at End of the Road on 2 Sept.  A release on FatCat sister label Palmist Records is apparently on the cards.  Until then:

[BUY]

Smoke Fairies’ fabulous show at ULU on Friday has had me in a creepy folky deviltunes kind of mindset of late, hence a bumper post about newish discoveries – some folky, some freaked-out, all fabulous.  Acoustic guitars don’t always have to equate “nerds in ugly sweaters singing about their feelings”, which can only be a good thing.

King Dude

First up, Seattle’s King Dude, possibly worth it on the name alone, and definitely pays off in the weirdness:

King Dude – My Beloved Ghost by hells-belles

Mississippi Witch

King Dude reminds me of the brilliant but incredibly slack Mississippi Witch, who hail from Bristol, and have been “working on” their (his?) second album since about 2008.  This one’s from the first album. I adore it, so if you’re reading this, Oli, please get it together and give us album #2:

Mississippi Witch – Buckshot Cornflower by hells-belles

U.S. Girls

More freaky than folky is U.S. Girls, which is one of those bands that likes to confuse things by being just one person, the one in question being Californian Meghan Remy.   This little gem, which kicks off more than a bit like a psyched-out Loco-Motion* (Little Eva’s, not Kylie Minogue’s, if you please), is coming our way in June on limited split 10″ vinyl via Fat Cat sister label Palmist Records.

US Girls – If These Walls Could Talk by Palmist Records

The other side of that split will include this track by Slim Twig, whose vox have a little bit of Lux Interior about them.  Or maybe that’s just me.

Slim Twig – Priscilla by Palmist Records

* Come to think of it, I reckon that intro is actually a sample.