Tag Archives: thisisfeast records

Fistymuffs ~ We Fight

Welcome to a new section of the blog, New Music Mondays, where we will be discussing new releases from local acts as well as great music from artists further afield.

First up it’s local grrrl’s Fistymuffs. This political punk/riot grrrl band is made up of performance poet Suky Goodfellow on guitar and vocals, DJ Nikki Fixx on drums, and bass and vocals from one of our ex Music Business students, and now Artist in Residence, Ashley Stein.

Fistymuffs have been gigging extensively since 2016 and have played with many notable acts, including Screaming Females, Lou Mclean Music, Gravelle, Sløtface, Petrol Girls and War On Women. Their lyrics are powerful and sometimes tackle dark subjects such as abuse in relationships and suicidal feelings, but always leave the listener feeling empowered, knowing that a better life is possible. Fistymuffs aim to empower people with their music and have been known to inspire other women to start their own bands.

This new record, We Fight, comes almost two years after the release of their debut EP, About Time, which focused on escaping abusive relationships, unwanted groping and bringing down the patriarchy. This new record sees the band tackle wider social issues while still managing to keep a personal tone to the lyrics. The opening track, Hey You!, is a literal call to arms, asking the listener to get active, stand up for themselves and fight back against our capitalist society. Gentrification of Leith discusses the #saveleithwalk campaign which was headed up by Leith Depot, the bands favourite venue and the place where they recorded their first EP, About Time. Riots Not Diets breaks down the indigestible truth of diet culture, while Survivors Write History is a powerful exploration of choosing life over the alternative.

Fistymuffs sound has also notably developed. Whilst their signature rhythmic changes are still ever present (see Innocent Contact from their first record as a good example of this!), the band have incorporated their communal love of post-punk on to many of the tracks. Most obviously tinted with this shared influence is Survivors Write History, where Suky has introduced a subtle yet arresting synth section to the mix.

So, whether you’re tackling diet culture, fighting gentrification, surviving depression or just want to be part of the revolution, there’s something on this record for everyone. You can buy We Fight from Fistymuffs Bandcamp page, or check out their music from any of their socials below:

BEECHES Q&A

Beeches

Following the recent release of their debut single ‘Young Souls’ and on the eve of their show with F**k Art, Let’s Dance and Penny Black at Cabaret Voltaire, FEAST met with Beeches for a chat.

How long have you been making music together?
A long time! Me (Oscar), Robert and Walter have known each other since before school and only began writing p in 2010. We met Amadeus in 2012 and asked him to play Bass while we were under the name ‘Chordless Beaches’. It all started from there really. It was around December 2013 when we changed to Beeches.

Is there a story behind the name?
We thought of Chordless Beaches at the very beginning of our band with a slightly different sound and line up, so by late 2013, we felt that it was right for us to change to Beeches. There were quite a few names in the running but Beeches just seemed to fit best I guess.

Who are your musical influences?
Hmmmm… always hard one. We have a pretty large variety of Influences. Bombay Bicycle Club, Dry the River, Jeff Buckley, the Maccabees and that kind of stuff influences our style directly. I would also say that the other genres of Music we’re into (classical, RnB, Jazz, prog. rock) affect the overall outcome of our music quite a lot too.

What process goes into the way you write songs?
Usually Oscar will write something on just one guitar, and then bring it to the others to ‘Beech’ it up. The finished product sounds pretty different from the original ideas quite a lot after this. Sometimes we do just sit down as a band and write a song together if we’re in the mood.

What can people expect from your live shows?
We like to think that we have a pretty dynamic live show. Loud, soft, ambient, upbeat, mental… We try to vary the moods and atmospheres in our songs to suit a live crowd and (hopefully) convey something to the listener.

The crowd usually goes mental too.

Funniest thing that’s ever happened at a gig?
Hahaha, I’d love to be able to say we destroyed cab vol one time, or that I broke my ribs stage diving off a humongous PA… but in reality our gigs seem to run pretty smoothly. At our last gig we covered 7 days by Craig David and that was pretty funny.

What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?
We had our single launch for our first official release under ‘Beeches’ at the Liquid Room on the 15th of March. We hope to record some more in summer too, and hopefully this will be released before autumn 2014.

In general though, Beeches will be gigging and music..ing as much as we can 2014.

Beeches play Cabaret Voltaire tonight (Friday 27th June). Doors 7pm. Tickets available

Edinburgh Hogmanay Review

2014
Feast started the night over at the main stage enclosure with Edinburgh’s own The 10:04’s opening the proceedings.
The band only played a 20 minute set, but they made sure they left a lasting impression on the huge crowd.
Having seen the boys play in practically ever venue across the city, they showed that they have the tunes and the swagger to make the leap into the big time league.
The formidable frontmen of Steven Bolton and Danny Scrimshaw looked confident, as they exchanged vocal duties
The brooding ‘Lights Out’ and ‘Throes’ sound taught, delicate and romantic, yet full of harmony,sung with boys Scottish brogue, it’s a fantastic contemporary direction.
They played a set laden with newer tracks, it was a great showcase to highlight the fantastic new music, currently being produced in Edinburgh.
Whilst I wished the 04s had ended their set, how they normally do, with the gloriously noisy ‘About Tonight’, as it would’ve kicked off the night with a bang, but that’s just preference.

Next up we meandered through the masses for Chvrches.
The next big Scottish export for sure, having enthralling audiences across the pond and their tracks being played absolutely everywhere.
Chvrches cross-over success has been astounding and looks certain to continue with mainstream dominance in 2014.
Devoid of any, high tech lighting, or imagery, the trio, let their music let the crowd know exactly what they were about. The trio made up of Iain Cook and Martin Doherty mixing familiar yet bittersweet electro soundscapes behind Lauren Mayberry sugar-sweet vocals, effortlessly cajoling those in front of them to dance.
Mayberry’s haunting vocals soared across the still night air as the synth pop soundscape of We Sink and the aura of The Mother We Share further set
The gem of their set proved to be the shimmering Under the Tide, with Doherty taking the mic – the vocal exchange between him and Mayberry creating a pumping electro but brilliantly understated track. A fantastic set from Scotland’s next massive band.

Django Django are the new party band!
The new festival headline band du jour!
End of story. The atmosphere before the boys jumped on stage, was electric.
These boys have upped the game, before,they were eclectic, enthralling and exciting, now they are the finished article, strutting about the Waverly stage they had the crowd dancing as they juggled instruments and synths as their arsenal of tracks stormed the stage.
The mathematical future disco kings warp a plethora of influences from 70s prog, afrobeat percussion, and pounding synths into a a full on pounding, euphoric, electric party.
Crowd favourites ‘Hail Bop and ‘Default’ had the crowd bouncing into a fevered mess before the bells and fireworks.
A completely fitting night, to one of the country’s exciting band, here’s hoping Django Django are playing the festivals.

With such a strong Scottish line up (we’re claiming Django Django as half of the band are Scottish) of exciting music, its a great platform to show off the Scottish music scene.

Posted by Stacy

“Tonights The Night”

Feast-Poster-Final

Yes as the great Neil Young said, tonights the night as we host an extravaganza of musical delights as 7 new labels launch their debut singles from their first artists. Chaos may ensue but hopefully everything will go to plan or thereabouts (fingers crossed). Should be a great night.

Presenting:
The Cosmonauts with their energetic guitar riffs, atmospheric cello and lyrics that resonate, bringing the passion and excitement of a bygone era bang up to date with a heart pounding crash.

The Well Rested – music made by Oliver Ninnis, James Albon and Tim Davey with a mic tied to a cymbal stand by a sock.

Hotel India and their pop/rock/psychedelia/indie groove

Onetzu – after his childhood, raised by wolves and fundamentalist protestants in the wilderness, Onetzu arrived in Edinburgh, made himself a microphone out of tin cans, old shoes and bits of discarded furniture. He’s never been the same since – rapper’s delight!

The Maybes – a guitar based band from the South Side of Glasgow

Silvertongue – 22 year old emcee, born in the Highlands. Now lives in Edinburgh.

Panda Trap – Alternative rock band from Perth

See you at the bar for a few shandys!!