Review - Fake Gold - Sink Before You Swim

Review - Fake Gold - Sink Before You Swim

Fake Gold - Sink Before You Swim

The first show my old band was meant to play, Fake Gold covered for us and our first show we did play they played after us about 3 years ago. As both new bands we played on the same bill with these guys alot and got to know them very well. We even camped next to each other at Hevy without realising we were both going. So I'm stoked to see their second release out and that they didn't break up. After their first release Cold Eyes in Jan 13 I was looking forward to hearing the new line up and Sams vocals without added illness.

These guys are pretty spread out over the UK at times so they make do with what that have time for. They pour heart into every live show, climbing on the highest possible thing they can. 

With a weekender on the way in May (23rd - 26th) they have a few dates to fill, so get in touch if you want to stick these guys on. Playing Adam & Eve in Birmingham with Trading Places, Acres and Echoes on the 26th of May. Page link HERE  

Anyway. First off on the 4 track E.P is "Summer is over". As more of a melodic hardcore band there is a little melodic intro riff that sets the E.Ps overall feel. For some of the happiest guys I know their lyrics are very sad. "Winter forever, no sign of summer, permanent bitter life, it's hard enough without this struggle I'm done walking on eggshells".  But thats the beauty with music, it gives you a chance to vent. 

A big Comeback Kid influence I can hear. Leads you in to a nice bass break and a chance to scream back at Sam. 

"No more" comes straight in with Karstens trademark marksmanship on the tom and cymbal work. Clocking in at just over a minute mark its a fast paced song. With a tempo change near the end that I've grown to love from this band. Full of energy "No Less" is next up. A well balanced mix of riffs and breaks, melodics and chug. Again the fast paced tom rolls impress and the bass cuts through the bridge. This track has been done well with the low end coming through.The last verse reminds me of More than Life. 

The final song "For Better, For Worse" is the stand out track for me. I love the touché blasts

at the start. Chris has worked the tones right and this track really shows Fake Gold in my eyes, pleasing riffs and tempo changes. Perfect ending for this release because it leaves you wanting more, I want to hear more songs like this one. 

It's a good release from the lads. And like I said I'm glad they managed to get it out and get back out there!

 Check their Band camp HERE  

 And their Facebook HERE

Review - World Weary - Self Titled

World Weary - Self Titled 


Got sent this self titled by Dan last night, had a quick scan of their Facebook page and noticed these guys are a fairly new band. E.P dropped in February and their first show with Black Shapes at Luna Lounge in Leytonstone, London, was at the end of February. Being a hardcore band in London boasts a very supportive community but also has the ability to swallow you up underneath everything that goes on. I don't think the latter will be the case with these guys, they have a good set of shows lined up at some good venues and a self titled to back up their live shows.


The opening track Broke free starts how I think 
everything should open. Feedback. I'm a sucker for it. It builds anticipation. After the Simon and Garfunkel sample the shred starts. This isn't paint by numbers hardcore, big riffs and an even bigger kick drum sound. In fact the mix on this is brilliant. Into a thrashy groove riff and then the vocals come in. I like the voice this guy has, you can identify where this band is from and its not super over powering.

Head check  comes in with a nice chord melody and builds up perfect example of London chug n' groove. This track is full of anger about feeling stuck in a catch 22. Now, the chorus reminds me of early Gallows - not a bad thing at all. I think there's a guest vocalist on there too. Solid track.

At just over the one minute mark Bag of Bones is the shortest on this 5 track but is full-on all the way to the end. Bursting with big thrashy riffs into a nice bass break and ending with a 16th of blast beats. Again the kick drum sound these guys have is perfect, around 0.14 seconds in it starts grabbing you. I looked at an earlier review of these guys and the review mentioned early Broken Teeth and I'm going to agree. As with all the lyrics on this release its not filled with cliché bullshit. Real words by real people.

Sharpe Pain is a nice instrumental with a bass line pulsing into some beatdown chug n' groove that leads you into the last track Make Me Sick. The highlight for me on this track the Sabbath-esque lick around half way through. The last verse lets off a tonne of steam and leaves you wanting more. My favourite track from these guys for sure.

World Weary in my eyes a solid first release and really showcases what these guys can do. If this is the bench mark for emerging hardcore bands in London then things are only going to get better and better. They have their own sound but yet maintain UKHC and a London sound.Look out for these guys near you.

Head over to http://worldwearyhc.bandcamp.com/ to download World Weary. It's a name your price so if you like what you hear chuck these guys a couple of quid to show your support, or wait for the tape release on http://www.getlooserecords.bigcartel.com/    



As always hit me up with your band demo, shows and other goings on. Add me on BleakxZine Facebook or on Twitter @bleakxzine. You can sub to the RSS feed for this blog but I couldn't tell you if it would be super annoying or not.  

shows

• May 10
  The Forum
  Tunbridge Wells, UK
• May 16
  Unit, Southampton
  Southampton, UK
• Jun 08
  Prince Albert
  Brighton, UK

          

Fluff Fest first announcement for 2014!

FLUFF FEST 2014  link!

Fluff fest crew have been running offline consultations in Prague to hear your voice in taking the fest to another level, improve organization and making it overall a better weekend. "We have decided to try a new system of work on the fest so we are taking our work meetings public starting next week. We will be holding them approx. once a month in late afternoons or evenings in Prague and everyone who is interested in helping or changing something or simply wants to know more about how it works behind the scenes with FLUFF is welcome. We’re hoping to freshen up the fest a little and get better feedback as well. Each meeting will have a list of subjects we will go through plus time for discussion. A short report will then be published on our website.
The first one will take place at the Fluffwheels offices at Nadrazni 3 in Prague 5 on Tuesday 28th January at 6pm where we will be going through a FLUFF13 recap, promotion and the work team for FLUFF14 and maybe through some ideas for changes. "

If you don't know about Fluff, it's a DIY music festival focusing mainly on hardcore punk, but accepting lots of different styles and sub-genres like pop punk, post rock, and a lot more. Held in Rokycany, Czech Republic around the end of July, this highly addictive summer camp leaves no survivors and makes everybody come back year after year. 

The fest brings a bunch of great people from all over the world moshing, stage diving and having fun together in a great atmosphere, spiced up with vegan food, workshops and DIY activities. Fluff Fest is a prime example of how amazing the hardcore punk scene still is.
Boasts band such as Defeater, Have Heart, Stay Hungry, Verse, Trail, Ceremony, Ruiner to name a few. 
No barriers and an accessible stage gives you chance to let go and not worry about numbered hi vis dicks. A quote from Michel from Fluff Fest about the growing populatly of the fest ."I like the way it is. So the main stage will stay the same. Other stages might increase in number but not size. Let’s say the open stage was a pretty good example of where we want to grow. As far as bands go – if we feel like they are part of the hc scene why not, but we won’t necessarily hunt for big names. We might have reached some point where it is going to stay for a while, 70-100 bands on 3 or 4 stages and as much non-musical stuff as possible. Let’s focus more on making it nicer now (better food, shorter queues, cleaner toilets…)"

The food there is a selling point for a large group of people. The fest supports local animal rights organization Svoboda Zvirat and is strictly vegan. Please don't let that put you off, after all, what's one weekend without meat? The entry fees are kept as low as possible so please if you do go support the fest by buying food and drink on site. At a mere €35 or 800Kč for a 3 day pass (fri,sat,sun). €20 or 400Kč for a 1 day pass (fri or sat or sun). Thursdays shows are free and so is camping its not going to break you like UK festival prices.

As for the overall feel of the fest is a place to meet mates and watch some punk. " but I hope we can keep as close as possible to the atmosphere of a small punk club show, trying to book bands who might never be sharing the stage anywhere else, being open to all the differences in the scene. The location helps as well, I guess, as it’s pretty close to Germany where a lots of kids come from, and it’s accessible for all the Eastern Europeans as well. Not many US bands tour Eastern Europe, so for lots of people it’s a once-a-year opportunity to see those bands live."

Oh and there's a huge outdoor pool down the road in town. What more could you want?

Here are the bands confirmed for 2014.
HEAVEN IN HER ARMS (Tokyo, Japan)
MORT MORT MORT (ex-AUSSITOT MORT) (Caen, France)
ACxDC (Southern California, US)
SUGARTOWN CABARET (Caen, France)
IMPLORE (Hamburg, Germany)
APPRAISE (Barcelona, Spain)
DEAD IN THE DIRT (Atlanta, US)
BURIED AT BIRTH (San Jose, California)
FOCUSEDxMINDS (Milwaukee, US)
MINDxCONTROL (Wales, UK)
AMALTHEA (Gothenburgh, Sweden)
I AM A CURSE (Le Mans, France)
ORBIT THE EARTH (Germany)
MONT-DORE (Brussels, Berlgium)
REKA (Moscow, Russia)
CELESTE (Lyon, France)

Quotes from "a look inside Fluff" by Idioteq.com

Solemn Promise new shirts.

Solemn Promise dropped some new merch the other day. Go check out their Bigcartel and grab yourself one. Why your there pick yourself up a copy of their E.p Worse than death.

http://solemnpromise.bigcartel.com/


In other news from the Northampton camp Fake Gold are currently recording new material. After a few months of uncertainty around the life of the band the boys from northy managed to get hold of a new bassist and start writing new material. Keeping this band together even through uni and other commitments must be a struggle but these guys love it. look forward to hearing it.  

Sam also presents a punk show on Fly FM NTU radio every Thursday night.

Link to the Show is HERE 

Seethe,Crossburner at The Craufurd Arms 8/3/2014

Crossburner
Seethe
Craufurd Arms 8/3/2014
Words By Kev Griffiths 
Pictures By Aaron Francis 

Milton Keynes is a strange town for music. A live music scene on its last legs and generations of live music fans crying out for a live music scene... both thriving and suffering in equal measure. With venues being changed or shut down left right and centre  (more on that later) it’s always nice to see established bands putting on a good old FREE SHOW just in order to show a bit of faith in the local scene, one of these was the Crossburner and Seethe show on Saturday, which I (and the rest of the usual Bleak team) were present for.

Crossburner and Seethe are both bands that have been mentioned a few times on Bleak by virtue of being accessible, not only in terms of their music but also in the fact that they don’t have the air of pretentiousness so ripe in this age of daddy’s-boy-bands and post-teenage arrogance.
Don’t get me wrong, though. My town has produced some great bands throughout the years, some of which are now treading international territory and causing a fuss around the world but it’s something about playing a free show in your hometown that you get from bands such as these that you wouldn’t expect to see from the globetrotters.

The Craufurd Arms is one of Milton Keynes’ leading live music venues - of the few that remain - and boasts an event hall and also a set up for bands in the main bar, which until recently I’d only been seen used for Open Mic nights and the weekly pub quiz. The lads in Crossburner and Seethe decided to forego the use of the event hall and instead opted to put the show on in the main bar, a decision which may have produced some skepticism at first but ultimately, I feel, paid off.

So, before a packed room, Crossburner took to the stage. Celebrating the release of their self titled EP (Jay put a review up of that a little while back, check it out) the boys put on a show with the same intensity and passion that we’ve come to expect.

Breaking through the rabble of the expectant crowd with the EP opener ‘Burn the Saint’ and, without losing momentum throughout with barely a moment’s pause between tracks, the guys mixed a few old songs with the entire EP tracklist. The room was packed and the ceiling was low, this is how music is supposed to be enjoyed. The sound in what is clearly considered the secondary of the two stages was surprisingly good and a post show discussion with a few others yielded the same level of surprise from other spectators.
With the EP now available on Footloose Records I recommend you grab yourself a copy and get down to one of their shows, these guys won’t disappoint.

Pick up the new Crossburner 10" From Footloose HERE

Crossburner  Bandcamp HERE
And Facebook  HERE




Next up was Seethe. A band who have been around for years and have developed a very solid and defined sound, true metal with blistering riffs, battering drums and now with added vocalist. The vocal duo of Dan ‘Nukie’ and Connor have brought a new level to the music they are making, complimenting one another in back and forth vocal bursts that really cover all bases with the rest of the (seemingly ever growing) band providing the perfect backdrop. Really talented bunch this lot. Their most recent album ‘Through Conviction’ is available on their Facebook page, or if you’re like me and money is something you heard about in a film once but never quite understood, they’re also on Spotify.

So anyway, they came on and tore open the room with ‘False Hope’ and the crowd responded in kind... then something began to not sound quite right. Turns out Connor’s mic had cut out towards the end of the track. Bugger.
Responding to James from Outta Luck’s suggestion that the duo share the mic ‘like Robson and Jerome’ they, well... did. It was going well until the second mic also went and you could then see the Craufurd sound crew scrambling about, with great efficiency, fixing the situation pretty quickly.

After maybe one or two minutes both vocalists were good to go and the lads went on about their business as usual pumping the crowd full of adrenaline and the metal we’ve grown to love from these guys.
They played a mix of old material off of Through Conviction and a few new tracks off their up and coming release, including Final Cry an exclusive for Metal Hammer released last month. This band live and breath music, they are always working hard to achieve what they want and all credit to them. It's hard to put your finger on the soun these guys create as there is so many different influences in this band. Not a bad thing at all. It all comes together and hits you in the gut on their live performances. A good mix of hardcore and metal runs through this band and I have said many times about the likeness of Seethe and Malevolence and even Unearth. Even through the technical issues the band maintained focus and put on a top show. It was a packed intimate venue and both bands played to this by stepping into the crowd and commanding movement. Which is hard to do on a beer soaked wooden floor.

  
Seethes Debut album Through Conviction is available on their Bigcartel    HERE

Bandcamp   HERE

Also Available on Spotify.






While I’m here... I touched on Milton Keynes’ ‘stagnating while striving’ live music scene briefly earlier on but, since the show on Saturday, a matter has come to my attention that I feel needs to be spoken about.

MK11 - The Kiln Farm Club in Milton Keynes, a live music venue that boasts a reputation as one of the town’s finest, on par in many an opinion with the Craufurd, is now subject to a ‘noise abatement order’ despite being located on an industrial park on the edge of town.

There’s a petition going around to save it and I highly suggest that you sign it, even if you are not from the Milton Keynes area. Unless you relish the prospect of a band you like skipping the Buckinghamshire area due to a lack of venues, after all this will be a continuation of years of venues being shut down for petty reasons by out of touch councils and eventually... well, I’m sure you get the picture.

The link is here and has so far received a great deal of support from the local community but still has a way to go, so get on it and show your support!

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/milton-keynes-council-save-live-music-at-mk11

Signing off, as always guys if your band or a mate’s band or a family member’s band or a distant relative’s friend’s sister-in-law’s dog’s old owner’s band are putting on or taking part in a show in the area give us a shout, we wanna be there.

Much love from the Bleak team.


Kev.

Blind Authority

Blind Authority should be releasing their upcoming 7" No Future through Self Acceptance  Records very soon. SA have released a couple of live tracks recorded in 2013 on their tour with Poder Absoluto as a promo up on bandcamp. I think the tapes are all gone. If you like Think I Care and Infest you'll love this south uk band.

They have left over shirts from Mongrel Fest and some tour leftovers. All money they make from merch will help towards there 7" release

Pick one up here.  blindauthority.bigcartel.com

No Future Promo here. Blind Authority No Future Promo
Self Acceptance Records: Blog  and SA Bigcartel

If you do come across the tape for these guys demo grab it up the clear with griptape version looks great. 
                                        
                                       

Dead Man’s Chest, Solemn Promise, Blind Mentality, Eyes upon a Ghost, Outta Luck, Internal War

Show Review 

Words and Pictures BY Ashley Wilkes 

Dead Man’s Chest, Solemn Promise, Blind Mentality, Eyes upon a Ghost, Outta Luck, Internal War
The Racehorse Northampton 
Friday 21st February 2014

Hi I’m Ash and because Jay has been pretty tied up with work at the moment he decided for me to help out posting stuff and I had the opportunity to check out some awesome bands in Northampton at the Racehorse.

It’s a decent sized hall stuck to the back of a pub much like the Craufurd Arms in my hometown. This venue has changed hands recently but it seemed like it was pretty much the same good old venue it's always has been. I’ve watched and played gigs here before and it’s a pretty fun place to play and watch bands and it's pretty easy to get to if you don’t mind walking a bit.

Site: https://www.facebook.com/theracehorse?fref=ts

This night was put on by a new group of people putting on shows called NN UNIT. This was the first show they’ve put on, and what a strong lineup they put on for this night! Which drew a very good number of people for their first show. Hopefully NN Unit will take N’town HC scene to the next level.

Site: https://www.facebook.com/NNUNIT?fref=ts

First there was Internal War from nearby Kettering. And I’m gonna start with an apology, as due to the various roadworks going on in Northampton  coupled with the fact I suck at being punctual, I missed half of internal war’s set (not a good start?).

Internal War
But there have been some murmurings about this band since its creation late last year and from what I saw of this band and by what people said, and keep in mind this was their first show, they were very good and really tight and I really enjoyed what I saw.  Their songs were sick and hella catchy especially when they went into a sludgy beatdown which made people go nuts. I can see them being a favourite for people who like to mosh up front and grab mic's. Keep an eye out for this band.

Site: https://www.facebook.com/internalwarhc 
They are due to have a split with Outta Luck coming in the near future.

Outta Luck
Then after Internal War, MK’s hardest and one of Bleak’s most talked about bands, Outta luck. I’m a big fan of this band not because they’re my good friends and former band mates, but theyre really something to look out for and this show was no exception.

Their set comprised of songs off their 2013 demo and a couple of new songs that sounded awesome. They opened up with a cover of a classic tune - 21 Seconds by So Solid Crew. Albeit twisted with their own chug and groove style they pulled it off, they then powered on into each song relentlessly with a good energy that maintained throughout their set which got the better of guitarist Dan who ran off the stage onto the floor and yanked the plug out of his amp right when the first riff of the second song came in.
Their set hammered on, which included of a couple of sick new ones that carried on their style. I especially liked the second new one, they got the crowd moving, everyone looked to be into it and if there weren’t moving there was plenty of people who looked like they were about to. All in all it was an awesome set and lovely to see this band go from strength to strength. Top lads.

Demo link (includes download links) : https://soundcloud.com/outta-luck-mkhc/sets/demo-2013
Site: https://www.facebook.com/outtaluckmkhc

Eyes Upon a Ghost
Proceeding after Outta Luck was Eyes Upon a Ghost from Yorkshire. Who mix beat down with a healthy slab of Slam Death Metal, a style of which I was curious to see. A solid set of songs which were powerful and possessed a barrage of beatdowns that pummeled you like a punch in the face. I like what I heard and so did the crowd.
With a combination of doomy-sludgy goodness, which reminded me of Xibalba, which broke out into faster parts with vocals which ranged from hardcore shouts to pig squeals with bags of low end and a gyrating bass player.... Good stuff.

Site: https://www.facebook.com/eyesuponaghost  which includes two singles for download.

Blind Mentality
DMHC from the South Coast, as a fan of both death metal and hardcore their set was particularly enjoyable for me, with songs that were very catchy and VERY easy to lose yourself in and start moshing. Their songs were well structured, unpredictable and the least you could do was head bang to this. This band will not keep you standing still. Especially with a song that included a beatdown which went into cannibal corpse-esque riffing. BWP and Desolated fans will enjoy. Vocals have a hint of Aj in there awsell. Loved it. 

Site: https://www.facebook.com/BLIND.MENTALITY . Includes their 6 track EP Bane of Humanity for download at name your price.

Solemn Promise
Solemn Promise from Northampton have been one of my favorite local bands, I’ve had the benefit of playing with these guys at a few shows and they’ve always been a hard act to follow and they are all very sound lads.
Their set consisted of tracks that hammered you to the bone with riffs. You can tell these guys have spent time working on their tones, with Sam’s guitar giving off an awesome sound and Colban’s bass tone which adds a nice rattle on top to add to the barrage of brutality from the brothers of Ash (Drums) and Dan (vocals) Hodgkins. Each song has its own way of hooking you in with their kickdrum led beatdowns and powerful riffs with the added bonus of being able to grab the mic and shouting along (which this set had a lot of) which was very fun to watch.

Dead Man’s Chest
A band you’ve probably heard of or are going to be hearing in the near future, London’s Dead Man’s Chest mean business. Their set was fast, brutal and fueled by hate, it was like a well oiled machine they kept the crowd gripped especially with their cover of Intergrity’s Bringing It Back.
Moshing was a given. It’s what you have to do when you see this band. With the hope of a US tour and further touring in the UK and mainland Europe, this band are ready for domination. Their live show is a statement to that.

Site: https://www.facebook.com/deadmanschest , http://thedeadmanschest.bandcamp.com



Words and pictures by Ashley Wilkes


Bleak Zine Facebook page    HERE


As always hit me up with your bands E.Ps, demos, shows and all that jazz at soulcraft1@msn.com