Hi, my name is Zach. I’m a DIY spoken word artist and music enthusiast. This is a new weekly blog on Seeing Your Scene; detailing the stuff that has caught my eye in music news, sounds you need to hear and, when applicable, a breakdown (in all senses of the word) of touring.
As I’m writing this it is somehow February, a month whose quick unexpected arrival is like that of a U2 album in your iTunes account. Temperatures remain as brutal as a Human Hands record, but fear not, Feb promises to be fruitful; it would appear that most of my favourite bands are touring – gearing up for the year ahead after a quieter January.
With the news that Facebook are binning what they call organic promotion of pages it might be getting more difficult for DIY artists to reach their fans. Although this knowledge isn’t great, you have to remember that it’s only one method of communication. Get yourself to a show, write a tweet, listen to a tape.
Recently signed with FatCat Recs, Best Friends spilled out a new single; “Fake Spit“. It’s the first tune from their new album, due out in May. The Sheffield garage punks are playing a gig with Playlounge (who are also dead good) in London on 25th Feb.
Additional listening this week comes from chiptune skate punk Euan Lynn – his latest EP suitably titled Endless Summer. It’s rad; a kind of surfy Nintendo delve into the subconscious. Fav track: Slappy Hour
I read Ayoade on Ayoade – a self reflective look at the work and practices of Richard Ayoade, who you’ll probably know as Moss from ‘The IT Crowd’. The book is a series of fictionalised nonsensical interviews, making difficult reading as footnotes lead into an extended appendix. Clever stuff, even if he does dislike R.E.M. (poor Stipe).
Show to look out for next week: Joey Fourr at Cafe Kino, Bristol, 14th Feb. The first date of a UK tour that continues to Nottingham, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool.
