Over the past 3 years or so, there have been a lot of bands posted about on these pages. Some of it has been good, some of it not so good (especially the witch house phase), but there are certainly bands that stick out above all others. Tashaki Miyaki are one – playing London on the 28th, apparently – Unouomedude is another and Bos Angeles fit into the category as well. For all the talk of music blogs making music more disposable, fame more flippant, it’s more a case that through natural selection the bands that you truly adore stick in the memory rather than whatever you’ve heard on the radio. If there’s been one song that’s stuck in my mind the most the past year, it’s a straight contest between Beach Slalom by the aforementioned Bos and the rampant pleasure of Phantom Limb by possibly my all-time-favourite-blogged-band, Fear of Men.
Their debut cassette, The Hanna Schygulla Demos sold out before Sex is Disgusting had even got around to putting it on general release, a selection of 4 tracks that show the bands complete range – even if they were only initially meant to be an accompaniment to an art project. Since then, the increasingly influential Italian Beach Babes have put out a 7″ with production upped to match and the results have been sublime. They even did a video.
And now they’re playing Manchester for only the second time. The first, a support for Milk Maid, was spectacular despite the fact that singer Jess had spent the 24 hours prior to going on stage struggling to speak. that was in the cold, (then) half-built surroundings of Soup Kitchen’s basement, whereas the sweltering heat of The Castle Hotel’s back room will play host this time, where the band will hopefully be fully fit and ready to play what should be one of the most memorable shows of the year.
Support comes from The Louche F.C., who again fall into the bracket of most fondly remembered – whilst equally being a convincing argument for 2010 being an absolute vintage year for new bands in Manchester, especially in light of 2011′s complete and utter drought. New 7″ coming on SWAYS soon.
Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=255480124472993
Tickets: http://www.seetickets.com/Event/FEAR-OF-MEN/The-Castle-Hotel/580474
