Tuesday 3 December 2013

'Open Mind / Saturated Brain' January 2014 Mix


'Open Mind / Saturated Brain' January 2014 Mix



So, Dave from Zegema Beach Records has put together another cracking MP3 compilation of proper screamo and hardcore, so if that sounds like your bag, you should probably get over and download it for FREE right now. It also has one of Leeboy's Merridew tracks on it too, so that's nice! (Cheers Dave!)

You can download the mix from here:




And find Merridew here:




Thanks a bunch! :)
xox

Thursday 14 November 2013

MERRIDEW on Facebook...



MERRIDEW on Facebook...

So yeah, our Lee does numerous musical projects, one being MERRIDEW, through which he's already put out a couple of EPs via Glass of Spit. It's kind of instrumental ambient emo / hardcore for fans of stuff like ENVY, THE COPPERPOT JOURNALS, and MAHUMODO, so if that sounds like your thing, you should go check it out on the new Facebook page, here:


Or listen to stuff here:



or here:



Thanks a tonne! :D
xox

Friday 11 October 2013

'The Screever' Orwell quote patches


'The Screever' Orwell quote patches

So yeah, Lee will be tabling at the Nottingham Zine Fest tomorrow (Saturday 12th October), attempting to shift some copies of our last few issues, but he'll also have a bunch of THESE; wonderful little George Orwell quote canvas patches, printed by the wonderful Lou at 13 O'clock Screen-printing. It's an appropriate quote given that it's spoken by the character in 'Down and Out...' whose 'profession' is a screever (a pavement artist). Not enough people wear patches these days, so pick one up and stitch it to your favourite jacket / backpack / satchel. Give us a shout if you'd like one!
Thanks a lot! :)
xox

Sunday 29 September 2013

Joint Last - 'Forever Endeavour' EP


Joint Last - 'Forever Endeavour' EP

So Lee's gone and done another EP, and this time it's four tracks of instrumental pop-punk, so if that sounds like your bag, head on over to Glass of Spit's Bandcamp to check the whole thing out:


The CD will be up for sale (as soon as he's put all of the packaging together) from here:


You can also give the second track a blast here:




Thanks a tonne :)
xox

Sunday 8 September 2013

New Alaska - 'Finer Lines of Tomorrow' review


New Alaska - 'Finer Lines of Tomorrow' review

So I picked up New Alaska's new 7 inch split with Chestnut Road the other day, a review of which will no doubt find its way into issue five of The Screever when it finally begins production. In the meantime, I thought I'd post this lil' review of their EP 'Finer Lines of Tomorrow' that was printed in issue four. Enjoy!

"In the digital age that we've been unfortunate enough to find ourselves dropped in, it's wonderful to see a bit of time and effort go into the packaging of a DIY release, and this CDEP has one of the nicest set-ups I've seen for a good while; a nice fold-out, poster-sized sleeve with crisp, clean photo artwork and lyrics with fab design work, a separate spine-sleeve like the ones you find on Japanese CDs, and a disc that has a black bottom like an old Playstation 1 game disc(!), all folded neatly into a plastic wallet... truly amazing stuff! As for what's actually ON the disc, NEW ALASKA from Stourbridge play indie-punk/ post-punk with some pretty cool, angular guitar work that reminds me of stuff like FUGAZI and THE COMPUTERS' old stuff, with some interesting time signatures. The pace and momentum never lets up on this, and all five tracks are pretty catchy, with some quite harsh, driving vocal melodies that have a way of drilling into your subconscious with some quite obscure but interesting lyricism. Good stuff; definitely a promising release from another band from the 'bridge."

You can find New Alaska on Facebook here:


and Bandcamp here:


Thanks a bunch! :)

xox

Tuesday 3 September 2013

13 O'clock 'Past Lives' scarf


13 O'clock 'Past Lives' scarf


You may well have read our interview with Lou from 13 O'Clock in the last issue of 'The Screever', about all of her lovely screenprinted goodness; well, she now has these pretty amazing stamp and paper ephemera-themed, screenprinted cotton scarfs for sale on her Bigcartel. They're absolutely beautiful, so go and check 'em out! :)

You can find them right here:


and the Facebook page here:


Thanks a lot! :)
xox

Wednesday 31 July 2013

MERRIDEW - 'Summer' - Glass of Spit Recordings


MERRIDEW - 'Summer' - Glass of Spit Recordings

So yeah, our Lee will be putting this EP out next week via Glass of Spit Recordings; 5 tracks of ambient, instrumental emo, possibly for fans of THE COPPERPOT JOURNALS, MAHUMODO, and GRADE. He'll love you a tonne if you go and check out this opening track. Cheers! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6zzCjiUimw

Also go here:


Thanks a lot! :)
xox

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Secular Plague - 'Death For Sale' review


Secular Plague - 'Death For Sale' review

I figured I'd stick up another old review from issue three of 'The Screever', this one of Secular Plague (who we interviewed for the same issue)'s album 'Death For Sale'...

"So these guys from France / Belgium play very old-school hardcore / punk rock (crossed with what they refer to as 'deathrock'..?) in the vein of bands like T.S.O.L, CIRCLE JERKS, and even stuff like CONTEMPT, favouring quite short song structures and lengths, mostly in the thirty second to one minute range, the whole 11 track album coming in at about 13 minutes. It's quite basic musically, sustaining a similar mid-to-fast pace throughout, driven by a repetition of power-chorded riffs. The vocals really carry the whole thing for me though, with an awesome, quite nicely reverbed semi-hardcore singing style with, as you may suspect from the album title, a lot of lyrics centred on animal rights, sung (as far as I can tell) in English, so I absolutely dig that, even if the accent does slightly inhibit my understanding of some of the lines. I actually think they've done a great job on the short song lengths; sometimes stuff like this can be really dull if the songs are too long and repetitive, but this collection of angry, energetic, and focussed tunes are just about right. I think the most memorable tracks on this are the opening title track, 'Scapegoat', and 'Angry and Frustrated'. I got this as a download, but it's also available on CD with some pretty awesome looking artwork and packaging that I might order at some point. Cool stuff."

You can find Secular Plague here:



Cheers! :)
xox

Friday 19 July 2013

'The Screever' issue four



'The Screever' issue four

Oh my days, will wonders never cease?! Issue four of our lil' zine is complete, a mere few months after the last, and it's a staggering, unprecedented 48 pages long! This one features interviews with the mighty Constant Waves, the lovely Lou from 13 O'Clock, the rather incredible Tasha from A Zine Thing, and the unspeakably amazing Minus Tree, as well as pieces on Trees for Cities, Globe on Screen, and 'green graffiti', as well as the usual reviews, puzzles and recipe; what's not to love?!
You can grab yourself a copy for a mere quid from Glass of Spit at:


and don't forget to 'like' our Facebook page over at:


Thanks a lot! :D
xox

Friday 5 July 2013

The Red Heroes - 'It Fills That Void For Me' review


The Red Heroes - 'It Fills That Void For Me' review

So, The Red Heroes from over in the States are putting an album out in September, and I got a lil' exclusive blast of the thing prior to release. Here's a lil' review of said album...

"So these guys play pop-punk in a very modern, Western style in the vein of bands like MAN OVERBOARD and THE WONDER YEARS, and despite being similarly and unashamedly saccharine both musically and lyrically (though there IS some pretty miserable subject matter), THE RED HEROES play in a more straight and direct fashion, with less of the flare and superfluity of such bands. However, such a statement shouldn't be perceived in a negative light; here we have twelve tracks (plus an acoustic version of one of the album tracks) that are bright and, though quite catchy on the first and second listen, have a surprisingly uncanny knack for sneaking into your subconscious, and popping up in your head on arbitrary subsequent occasions, especially on the vocal side, thanks to some really quite memorable vocal melodies in both verses and choruses, and some pretty sweet backing harmonies. It invariably strolls at a steady mid-tempo, but the varied song-structures, song-lengths, nice drum time-changes, and use of contrast between full drive and some quite lovely mellow, acoustic sections keep the whole thing interesting enough, and I must say, the bass on this is pretty sweet, jazzing it up with some awesome picking and licks that add a lot of life to the straight chord-work. Stand-out tracks for me on here are 'Letters to a Christian Nation' largely for the hooky drumwork, the rather amusing and snotty acoustic number 'Martha', and the wonderfully chorused 'Valentine's Day (Hannah)', but the key tune here has to be the second track, 'Untouchable'; killer bass, catchy melodies, and the most infectious chorus on the whole album, and as if that weren't enough, there's an acoustic version right at the end that is just beautiful, and whoever Meagan Smith is, she has a wonderful voice that harmonises with the male lead perfectly, and her additional lines are a real treat. A consistent release that fuses the tempo and drive of old-school DIVIT and the melody and pop sensibilities of THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS and THE ACADEMY IS with the modern pop-punk stylings of MAN OVERBOARD; a pretty promising prospect."

You can find The Red Heroes in the following places:





Cheers! :D
xox

Sunday 30 June 2013

MaximumRocknRoll: 'The Screever' issue three review...



MaximumRocknRoll: 'The Screever' issue three review

I assumed that Maximum Rocknroll, being the punk and hardcore Unholy Grail that it is, upon receiving our lil' zine might raise an eyebrow, chuckle, and then fold it up to use as a door stop. Instead, Alison wrote this lovely little review of issue three; how wonderful of her...  (oh, and yes, NAT IS ALIVE and will be returning for issue four...)
xox

Monday 24 June 2013

Texas Is The Reason - 'Do You Know Who You Are?: The Complete Collection' review


Texas Is The Reason - 'Do You Know Who You Are?: The Complete Collection' review

So, I'll hopefully be seeing Texas Is The Reason at the start of August, and in celebration of such an astounding prospect, here's a review from The Screever issue three of their retrospective release that came out on Revelation this year; apologies for the gushing:

"Well, what can really be said about the album that, for me at least, defined and pretty much epitomises an entire genre? On the rare occasions that some uninformed, genre-confused person asks me what I think 'emo' is, I tell them to listen to TEXAS IS THE REASON. 'DYKWYA' originally came out on Revelation in '96, and with apologies for the use of such a cliche, it's as current, and I believe relevant today, and perhaps even more so in this time of such apparent aforementioned genre-confusion, than the time of it's first release. Collected here are the original nine tracks remastered, plus their first e.p, a couple of single tracks that featured on splits in the 90's (including an alternate version of 'Something to Forget'), and two further songs that were written subsequent to the album's first release, and literally every song on here is pure joy to experience; the two newer songs make a nice addition to the original lineup, and for those that don't own their first e.p, here's a chance to witness their cracking, faster, more melodic-punk rock beginnings. The song 'Blue Boy', from a split with THE PROMISE RING is incredible, consistently brilliant with the album tracks, and 'Something to Forget Version 1' is a worthy addition for the surprisingly different song structure and rawer vocal track, including some awesome vocal harmonies in the chorus that I'm surprised didn't make it to the later version. Whether you love TITR, haven't heard of TITR, love emo, or don't really know what emo is, this is absolutely worth getting; an astounding, genre-affirming and defining, and ultimately beautiful collection of songs that I really hope brings to this band all of the attention and credit that they somehow may have missed the first time around, that they so rightly deserve. A masterpiece; pure and simple."

Go and find them on Facebook here:


Thanks a lot! :)
xox

Sunday 23 June 2013

Glass of Spit Recordings now on Facebook...


So, our Leeboy has been running a not-quite-a-record-label called 'Glass of Spit' since 2009, putting out his band Sperare's stuff, as well as a bunch of solo projects, and for some reason they never made a Facebook page. Well, now they have, and Lee will absolutely love you if you head on over to the following link and give it a like:


And here's some other links that already existed:



Thanks a tonne! :)
xox

Saturday 22 June 2013

Tegan and Sara - 'Heartthrob' review


Tegan and Sara - 'Heartthrob' review

So, after waiting a good few years for them to come back around, I saw Tegan and Sara for the first time last week, and they were, unsurprisingly, quite brilliant. In the wake of that, I figured I'd post the review I wrote of their latest album 'Heartthrob' in The Screever issue three:


"Ah, TEGAN AND SARA; these girls can literally do no wrong in my ears. I've yet to hear a song that I dislike by them, and on this album, though their sound differs slightly compared to that heard on previous albums, leaning far more into dance-pop territory, this collection of tunes also features no such thing. The opener, 'Closer' (to which the video is hilarious and wonderful), is a killer party-pop tune, as catchy as anything you're likely to hear this year, and it literally goes from strength to strength from there, flowing through a bunch of some of the catchiest and most infectious chorus driven pop songs you'll ever hear, that are melodically perfect, both vocally and instrumentally. There's little point listing favourite tracks when such an endeavour would result in largely writing out the entire track list, and though containing less variety than I'm used to hearing from them, this is probably T&S' most consistently brilliant release to date. If I had to compare this to anything, you could draw similarities to bands like METRIC, THE TEMPER TRAP, and ROBYN's better, catchier stuff, but as long as you like decent music, you should love this. An incredible achievement in song-writing, it's going to take some seriously magic releases to stop this from becoming one of my favourite albums of 2013; perfect really."

Tegan and Sara are on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/TeganandSara


Cheers for reading! :)
xox

Monday 10 June 2013

Constant Waves - 'Pity Claps and Hearty Handshakes' review


Constant Waves - 'Pity Claps and Hearty Handshakes' review

Constant Waves are easily one of my favourite Midlands bands right now; I thought I'd just share this review from issue three of The Screever of a two-track demo(?) I picked up of theirs some time ago, just in case you missed it in print. Awesome stuff:

"When I saw these guys with NASDAQ last year, their instrumental force absolutely blew me away. They combine elements of funk, punk, post-rock, and ambience in a similar style to that of THE SHOGUNS DECAPITATOR, NASDAQ, and even WELL WISHER, with some truly fantastic guitar interplay throughout and sublime bass lines that hold everything together wonderfully. I loved the drumming on this, with a lot of pace and energy in the cymbal work, and song structures for the two songs on here are spot on, switching in and out of beautifully melodic clean sections and catchy, energetic funk effortlessly. However it's in the heavily distorted, louder sections that they really shine for me; both driving and sweeping, melodic and ambient with emotive chord changes, they really carry this style forward for me, and make up the most memorable parts. I know I'll be coming back to this again over the next few months, and if it's a sample of what to expect from future recordings, then anticipation will be high for the next release; a band that have contrast nailed to perfection."

You can find Constant Waves on Facebook 'ere:


Cheers!
xox


Tuesday 4 June 2013

Sperare - Terrorizer Magazine's 'Band of the Day'


Sperare - Terrorizer's 'Band of the Day'

So yeah, Leeboy's hardcore band Sperare were featured on Terrorizer Magazine's website as 'Band of the Day'; go and read him talking a bit of nonsense, and trying to make sense of the past six or so years of their existence.

You can find the interview here:


Also please check out and 'like' the band's Facebook page here:


Incidentally, we're hoping to have a new issue of 'The Screever' out by the end of the month (or thereabouts)... :D

Ta very much!
xox

Friday 31 May 2013

Caves - 'Homeward Bound' review


Caves - 'Homeward Bound' review

CAVES have a new album coming out very soon, so I thought I'd share this rather short review of their cracking last release 'Homeward Bound', that I forgot to squeeze into the last issue:

"CAVES are a wonderful three-piece pop-punk band from Bristol, and what I absolutely love most of all about them is that, unlike most bands on recordings these days, they sound 'real'; they sound like they might fall out of tune or time at any second, and for me that's a real joy given how a lot of punk these days is so neat and tight and almost unreal in it's cleanliness. Basically, they're what pop-punk should sound like. This is probably a little bit more creative musically and lyrically than their last 'Collection' release, and seems a little faster and shoutier; there's still plenty of woah-ing and ridiculously catchy vocal melodies though, and I especially love 'Taking on the World' and 'Bows and Arrows'. It's also pretty cool how the tracks run into each other as they ring out so it sounds like most of the thing was recorded in one take. If you like your pop-punk bright, catchy, and in exclusion of all of the typically hideous commercial polish, definitely check this out."

You can find Caves on Facebook here:


or check out their Tumblr here:


Cheers! :D
xox

Sunday 26 May 2013

Cheesus Crust Records 2 @ Wahlbar, Manchester

Cheesus Crust Records 2 @ Wahlbar, Manchester

So yeah, this rather awesome looking gig is happening in Manchester next Sunday, and you should definitely try to make it if you're in or around the area; most of the acts are travelling a heck of a way to get there, so the support would be heavily appreciated!

The event has a page on Facebook at:


and you can find the label here:



Thanks a tonne! :)

xox

Saturday 20 April 2013

SPERARE interview on IdiotEQ.com


SPERARE interview on IdiotEQ.com

So, our Lee plays in a hardcore/ screamo band called Sperare, and he recently did this interview with the guys at IdiotEQ. Go check it out, if only for the free download of the first tune from their forthcoming EP 'The Sea Takes The Rest'! Enjoy!

You can find the interview here:


Thanks a lot! :)

xox

Sunday 14 April 2013

'The Screever' issue three


'The Screever' issue three

So it's finally here; issue three of 'The Screever'! It's about A6, photocopied in black and white, and features interviews with Stourbridge drone master ADAM BECKLEY, Birmingham thrash / skate-punkers LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF, Birmingham Straight Edge promoters LOCKDOWNxCOLLECTIVE, DIY packaging wizard Tom from ACDSLEEVE, zine legend Catherine Elms from SPILL THE ZINES, and French / Belgian punk rock band SECULAR PLAGUE, plus a bunch of reviews, a couple of puzzles, and a Vegan Creme Egg recipe. Sounds awesome, right? I had to make this one alone as it seems that Nat has disappeared from the digital universe, but hopefully she'll return with a vengeance for the next one.
This one has a run of 150 copies, and you can get yours from here:


Also remember to follow us on Facebook at:


Thanks a tonne! :D

xox

Friday 12 April 2013

Sperare 'The Sea Takes The Rest' EP launch...


Sperare 'The Sea Takes The Rest' EP launch...

So yes, Lee's hardcore band SPERARE are having this EP launch at the end of this month in their home-town of Stourbridge, thanks to local experimental music label Carnage Club. It's shaping up to be a pretty awesome night, so if you're from around there, make sure you check it out!

There's a Facebook event page for the gig here:


and make sure you check out the band here:


Cheers! :)

xox

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Merridew - 'Fears That Kindle Hope' - Glass of Spit Recordings


MERRIDEW - 'Fears That Kindle Hope' - Glass of Spit Recordings

Right, so yesterday I released another solo EP, this time under the moniker 'Merridew', and this one is three tracks of instrumental, ambient emo / hardcore.
You can hear the final track here:


buy the EP on CD here:


or download it for free from here:


Thanks a lot! :D

xox

Friday 29 March 2013

Come To Get Her - 'Another Way To Go' debut album release


Come To Get Her - 'Another Way To Go' debut album release

'Come To Get Her' from Belarus have just released their debut album 'Another Way To Go' (a follow up to their quite cracking DIY EP, 'Life So Changing'), and from what I've heard of it so far, it's going to be amazing. Check it out if you're into melodic punk-rock / pop-punk in the vein of UNDECLINABLE AMBUSCADE.

You can download it on a name-your-price basis from their bandcamp at:


and find them on Facebook at:


Awesome stuff! :D

xox

Sunday 24 February 2013

LockdownxCollective Presents: 'The Mongoloids' + guests


LockdownxCollective Presents: 'The Mongoloids' + guests / The Flapper, Birmingham / 19th June

So, thanks to LockdownxCollective, this is happening in Birmingham in June; that may seem a good while away, but if you're into your hardcore, straight-edge or not, then get excited because this is looking awesome...

You can find Lockdown on Facebook here to keep updated with shows and the like:


Nice one!

xox

Sunday 17 February 2013

Laughing in the Face Of - 'The Lubrication of Social Anxiety' review


Laughing in the Face Of - 'The Lubrication of Social Anxiety' - Lockjaw Records

Just another review from The Screever issue two; reviews for issue three are pretty much done...

"I first saw / heard LitFO in about 2005 when they supported FIREAPPLE RED in a little pub in Birmingham (their hometown), and I remember being completely blown away, this being the first time I'd encountered a local band that played really fast punk-rock, or even realised they existed near me, and this, the follow up to their self-released e.p 'Technically, It's Not Our Fault' is pretty blistering; 11 tracks of thrashy but melodic double-time skate punk that is technical and abrasive without ever feeling contrived or gimmicky. It's consistently interesting, and it's good to hear a punk-rock band that isn't afraid of doing long instrumental intros ('The Art of Burning Bridges' is a good example). It might take some getting into, but you can listen to this over and over and pick out new little intricacies every time; Andy is one of the best double-time punk drummers I've seen live, and I'm always amazed at how Steve can play some of this guitar-wizardry whilst singing. There are loads of great tunes on here, and it's hard to pick out favourites, but I do like 'Make What You Want' and 'Whose Line Was it Anyway'. Awesome stuff, and highly recommended for those into THE HUMAN PROJECT, THIS IS A STANDOFF, or STRUNG OUT."

You can pick up a copy of this album from here:



or find them on Facebook here:


xox

Sunday 10 February 2013

Coffee Club Collective: 'The Greatest Show on Earth' illustrated book


Coffee Club Collective: 'The Greatest Show on Earth' illustrated book

'Coffee Club Collective' are trying to raise money to publish this lovely looking limited edition illustration book; they have about 20 days left to reach their target, and a bit of a hill left to climb, so they'll love you a lot if you pop onto their Kickstarter page and donate a few quid in return for some lovely stuffs :)

You can donate funds here:


...follow Coffee Club Collective on Facebook here:


or find out more about them on their blog:


Thanks a lot! :)
xox

Thursday 7 February 2013

Almeida - 'Fantastic Massacre' review


Almeida - 'Fantastic Massacre'

Here's another review from 'The Screever' issue two...

"These boys from Southern UK are pretty sick; there are a lot of bands around at the moment that fuse a bunch of styles into a technical mash-up, but ALMEIDA (pronounced Al-May-Der..?) do so with a little more skate-punk speed than most. It's a lot like PROTEST THE HERO (including a similarly high-pitched lead vocalist), but with a more melodic thrash-punk leaning, and a lovely horror / black-metal vibe... and yes, it's as interesting as that sounds, and to mix things up even more, there's a rather bouncy and quite lovely instrumental acoustic track somewhere in the middle. They're not afraid to write long songs, the title track running to over seven minutes, but have some quite wonderful little melodies if you're willing to find them. As a starter, check out the opener 'Kinslayer', which is one of the shorter and catchier tunes. Highly recommended for fans of PTH, but even folks into old BODOM and stuff may dig this; a pretty solid self-release from a bunch of super-talented chaps."

You can get this album from Almeida's webshop at:


or 'like' them on Facebook at:


xox

Tuesday 5 February 2013

'The Sleepover Club' zine


'The Sleepover Club' zine

So, folk pop-punk troubadour Elly Kingdon's only gone and made a zine; it's called 'The Sleepover Club', and is already sounding pretty awesome, apparently containing stuff on friendship, crafting, and togetherness...aww.

Issue one is currently available from 'Wedgwood Was a Queer' at:


or you can follow 'WWaQ' on Facebook here.

Awesome stuff :)

xox

Monday 4 February 2013

xMoreThanInkx presents: 'Hardcare' review


xMoreThanInkx presents: 'Hardcare' charity compilation review

...and for those that didn't yet pick up a copy of 'The Screever' issue two, here's the review we wrote for 'Hardcare' volume one...

"I guess compilations are a funny thing to review, but what we have here is over twenty tracks of hardcore, mostly Straight Edge, from a variety of places in Europe, the UK, and the States. There's a surprising variety of sounds on here too, from the outright metallic (HORIZONS), to the old-school (xCURRAHEEx), to the experimental (DECLARATION de GUERRA), to the melodic (FAILURE TO FOLLOW), and even to the female-fronted (WOLFxDOWN). Personal favourites, given my irrepressible love for a good melody are 'Strike Back' by FAILURE TO FOLLOW, largely thanks to the killer guitar melodies in the chorus, and the fact that the singer sounds a LOT like Tim from ENSIGN, and also 'Open Hands' by SPIRES, which I have to say is PURE GOLD; the really high-pitched guitar melodies in this song are absolutely sublime, and for me really outshine the majority of the rest of this comp.
If you're into hardcore, Straight Edge or otherwise, then get this; you're bound to love something on it. Proceeds from sales also go to a charity supporting a neonatal intensive unit, so it's a must really. Nice one xMoreThanInkx for reminding us that an Edge hardcore scene still exists, and for showcasing some of the strength of it here.

You can pick up a copy of this volume from here:


The xMoreThanInkx webshop can be found here:

http://xmorethaninkx.bigcartel.com/

and their website can be found here:


xox