Hell's Belles

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

This morning’s Soundcloud trawl has turned up a few beauties:

Fat Cat is no stranger to the scuzz, having given us the Awesome-Squared Odonis Odonis at the end of last year.  The parade of excellence continues with Milk Maid.  From their album ‘Mostly No’, out on July 9th.

I admit to being somewhat skeptical of Broken Hands when I turned up to see them at an A&R-packed show at the Bull and Gate several months ago.  Being on the young side, they literally wore their influences (Britpop) on their sleeves (and haircuts).  My internal chants of “pleasedon’tbelikeBrother pleasedon’tbelikeBrother pleasedon’tbelikeBrother” were cut violently short at the first chord.  Dudes can play. I expected (feared) a dirtier Oasis or Libertines, and got a psychedelic cocktail of  Tame Impala and The Stooges. If You Need To Lie is their second single, independently released on 7″ vinyl and download on May 28th.

Pepe Deluxe have been motoring for years, but they still manage to stay on the right side of kitsch. Go Supersonic is a fizzy J-pop-esque gem.

Stepping away from the 60s for a moment, I’ve pilfered this one from The Quietus’s Soundcloud feed – Gazelle Twin’s Changelings is given a dreamy electro-noire treatment by John Foxx and the Maths.

A nice little bit of lo-fi pop sludge that probably owes Lou Barlow a pint or two. You can line their pockets with beer money buy purchasing their split 7″ from Manchester-based “micro-label” Iceapades.  Or you can get it on Bandcamp:

Sunday 29th April @ Common, Edge Street, MANCHESTER – w/ Brown Brogues & Former Bullies SINGLE LAUNCH
Saturday 5th May @ The Black Cap, Camden Crawl, LONDON – Moshi Moshi stage
Sunday 6th May @ Rover Return, Sounds From the Other City, SALFORD
Sunday 27th May @ Trof Fallowfield, MANCHESTER – w/ Beta Blocker & the Body Clock, King of Cats & No Womb

Two Scandi gems courtesy of Danish mentalists PowerSolo, signed to Copenhagen label Crunchy Frog. Lo-fi, shouty, with tons of strut and squirm-inducing videos.  Of course I’m going to love this.

Powersolo – Got No Fear by hells-belles

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