Nov. 8, 2024, 8 a.m.
Screaming In A Shopping Centre
Get To The Gig(s), a tribute to Seal's jackets, cafés without food.
Repetitive Strain
Hello dear readers,
Anything happening this week? You got that right! We are currently on “tour” (two gigs in the South West) in RUBBER. Come and see us if you are local to Falmouth or Bristol this weekend and enjoy Idiot Music. Most importantly, we approach this month’s highlight of ATTEMPTING SOMETHING, a 3-day fest of Varied Music by Another Subculture – Ben’s venture spending over a decade risographing the corners of freaky DIY in London (+ Glanford/Grimsby/the entire radio internet). You might have seen it around.
V: I heard the very first Another Subculture tape zine in 2013 sitting in my old kitchen, listening to Matt from Pissed Jeans applying his bizarre pen to clothes writing, or friends talk about this really cool upcoming co-op venue. I remember being struck by how good the concept was. It proved the thing I was doing lived. Shortly after, I would meet an extremely calm man in a death trap cafe that didn’t serve food – beginning a miles-long scroll of stupidity that continues today.
We have toured together, podcasted together (do not look these up), guested on NTS several years before either of us knew how to use any electronic music technology at all, and once DJed Ormside Projects to a room full of sunflowers (while yelling “fuck Lendlease” into a microphone that was piped into the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre). So this month, we talk all about it! It’s all Ben, all the time, baby.
B: Not much to add from me apart from a thanks to Vic for allowing GB News levels of internal promotion to go ahead, and a reminder to buy your tickets. Going to be a top mixture of non-standard music, all for a good cause. It’s nearly Christmas and everything will be fine.
RS w/ Another Subculture • November 2024
Balamii is taking a well-deserved administrative break for two months, but we continue twirling towards freedom. Back on there in January, but continuing to run things on here and our Mixcloud until then. This month (as we’ve covered about ten times already in this newsletter) we cover South London's upcoming event of the season ATTEMPTING SOMETHING and chat BP's industrious gig calendar production as Another Subculture.
01 Megzbow & Vinegar Tom – Gong Bath (Submerged Dub)
02 Brendan Wells – Fantasy Furniture
03 No Home – Owner of the Leash
04 Fiscal Harm – Memory Defect
05 Gimic – In The Yolk
06 Gamma – Space
07 Dead Name - Terminal Procrastination
08 Ritual Error – Life As A Contact Sport
09 Keno – Neuro Ooze
10 Virvon Varvon – Holding Pattern
11 Dean Rodney Jr. and the Cowboys – Sesame Bun
12 Marcel Wave – Where There’s Muck There’s Brass
13 Holiday Ghosts – Sublime Disconnect
14 R.Aggs – Side by Side
02 Brendan Wells – Fantasy Furniture
03 No Home – Owner of the Leash
04 Fiscal Harm – Memory Defect
05 Gimic – In The Yolk
06 Gamma – Space
07 Dead Name - Terminal Procrastination
08 Ritual Error – Life As A Contact Sport
09 Keno – Neuro Ooze
10 Virvon Varvon – Holding Pattern
11 Dean Rodney Jr. and the Cowboys – Sesame Bun
12 Marcel Wave – Where There’s Muck There’s Brass
13 Holiday Ghosts – Sublime Disconnect
14 R.Aggs – Side by Side
All our shows can be found on Mixcloud, Soundcloud or Balamii’s website (usually). Links to tracks available on Bandcamp can be found on our Buy Music Club.
5 THINGS VIC IS EXCITED BY AT ATTEMPTING SOMETHING
Playing! – RUBBER open Friday and haven’t really played live since I imploded my entire shoulder bone (do not recommend stagediving on a drunk zionist at a hardcore show with a concrete floor when you are 30+). I love playing rock music! Have you tried playing live music? If not, why not? No answer you could give me is good enough. Here is the thousandth time we have mentioned First Timers.
Brendan Wells – Debut (and only!) UK show of Brendan Wells, mostly known as bassist of Uranium Club and a criminally undercelebrated Instagram presence. If you’re unfamiliar, Uranium Club are very much their own once-in-a-generation act (in a sea of v embarrassing imitators iykyk) to get into. I’d often meant to ask him if touring this project would ever be a possibility. Ben beat me to it! Brendan’s work touches a unique spot that I see in weird 90s American noise, Zomes, Amps For Christ, The Lord Dog Bird, etc. Let’s get lysergic.
R.AGGS – Ray’s work is a long tapestry of joy. Trash Kit are one of my favourite bands of all time (unquestionable). Shopping soundtracked my late 20s. Covergirl, Sacred Paws, get into it. Somehow I’ve not been able to see their recent leap into solo band due to life getting in the way, so I’m beyond excited.
Benny Lager And The Tops – New band alert! Nominative determinism ahoy as a previous radio guest fronts a band. Expect a stomping.
Marcel Wave – One of my favourite recent bands continue their recent re-activation since an Upset The Rhythm LP. It contains everything I like in (legitimate and not annoying) post-punk: a sparseness that comes with an air of something very bad looming à la Magazine, extremely specific Northern accent, lyrical references to Enfield. Have you ever lived inside of a crater?
Brendan Wells plays Attempting Something Thursday and RUBBER open Attempting Something Friday. R.AGGS, Marcel Wave and Benny Lager And The Tops play Attempting Something Saturday. Profits for all shows are being donated to Medical Aid For Palestinians and Free Kitchen Gaza.
See you there!
Oi! from South East London Ⓐ
BP and VSP play Non-Standard Music every second Friday of the month on Balamii, live at midnight UK time. Available to listen back to on Mixcloud or Soundcloud. Subscribe to the RS Substack for one monthly email of sonic detritus.
Ⓐ Oi! from South London Ⓔ
Repetitive Strain is free every month, both in audio and writing. However, supporting helps us along with radio fees, technical stuff, non-alcoholic beers. Feel free to throw us a little if you wish.