Make Yer Ane Comp VIII; A Book Yer Ane Fest-style mixtape from MTAT released in Solidarity with Dundee Women’s Aid. Artwork by Hazel Aitken, compiled by Derrick Johnston. Available for free/pay-what-you-want download from our Bandcamp page now. All proceeds to Dundee Women’s Aid.
Dundee Women’s Aid and 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2020
16 days is a global campaign that calls for action to prevent and end violence against women. It runs from 25th November till 10th December.
http://www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/stop-the-violence/16-days-of-activism/
During COVID, domestic abuse has increased at an alarming rate.
UN Women has said,
‘As countries implemented lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, violence against women, especially domestic violence, intensified – in some countries, calls to helplines have increased five-fold. In others, formal reports of domestic violence have decreased as survivors find it harder to seek help and access support through the regular channels. School closures and economic strains left women and girls poorer, out of school and out of jobs, and more vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, forced marriage, and harassment.’ http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/end-violence-against-women
Scotland is no exception. Helplines here have seen a massive increase in calls, with many women trapped inside with their abusers during lockdown. Dundee Women’s Aid is an organisation that works with women and children who have experienced domestic abuse. We provide refuges, prevention work, education programmes and support to find safety. Some women come to us with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and we help them to rebuild their lives.
We are a charity that receives some funding from the local authority for core services but we have to rely on grant funding and donations for projects like the kids holiday clubs and prevention projects At Christmas we make sure that all the kids we work with get presents and have as normal a time as possible. These projects are incredibly important to the women and children we support.
On behalf of the staff, directors and the women and children who come to Dundee Women’s Aid, thank you to everyone who has contributed to this amazing project. Whether you have contributed music, artwork or made a donation, you are supporting very important work.
By supporting this charity, Make-That-a-Take is making a powerful statement that it supports women to live lives free from gender based abuse and violence.
Janice Aitken. Chair of Directors, Dundee Women’s Aid.
Useful contacts:
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, please contact Dundee Women’s Aid on
Dundee Women’s Aid Website* http://www.dundeewomensaid.co.uk/
Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre* (WRASAC) https://www.wrasac.org.uk
* please note, both of the websites linked here have buttons for quick exit in case you are being observed by an abuser and don’t want them to see you accessing help.
WRASAC support line; 01382 201 291
Rape Crisis Scotland Helpline (6pm – 12am); 08088 01 03 02
Dundee International Women’s Centre; http://diwc.co.uk/
LGBT Youth Scotland; http://www.lgbtyouth.org.uk/
Muslim Women’s Resource Centre; http://mwrc.org.uk/
Feeling Strong; http://www.feelingstrong.co.uk/
Samaritans; http://www.samaritans.org
Wellbeing Works Dundee; http://www.wellbeingworksdundee.org.uk/
Scottish Association for Mental Health; http://www.samh.org.uk/
Mindspace; http://mindspacepk.com/
We Are With You; http://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/
Breathing Space; http://breathingspace.scot/
A Guide To UK Mental Health Helplines;
http://cassioburycourt.com/2017/05/guide-to-uk-free-mental-health-helplines/
Sexual Health and Wellbeing Tayside; www.sexualhealthtayside.org/index.php
Dundee Health; http://www.dundeehealth.co.uk/
Victim Support Scotland; http://victimsupport.scot/
Cool2Talk – information for young people; http://cool2talk.org/
Solidarity Not Silence; http://www.crowdjustice.com/case/solidaritynotsilence/
Buy the new “I BELIEVE THEM” single from Petrol Girls, out today!
http://solidaritynotsilence.bandcamp.com/releases
Volunteer Dundee; http://www.volunteerdundee.org.uk/
Dundee Foodbank; http://dundee.foodbank.org.uk/
If you are in imminent danger of violence please call 999
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OUR CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS.
As I’m assuming is the case for everyone, this has been one of the most stressful years in living memory. It’s difficult to know what to do or say to make any effective difference in our current cultural climate; isolated from one another and from our communities, it is all too easy to catastrophise and swirl down into the depths of despair. I, for one, have been struggling with the whole experience, as I’m sure everyone else has been also.
We haven’t put on a show since the last night of Dundee Women’s Festival with Seas, Starry, Two Stoned Birds and Beth Wood on Saturday 14th March. As I type this, it’s the morning of Friday 4th December, nine years to the day since Franz Nicolay headlined the Sunday night of Book Yer Ane Fest V. The words Franz spoke to me, when we were sitting behind the goal at Hampden Park watching Dundee United lose a league cup final; “don’t be a martyr to it”. Those words have stuck with me over the years, first echoing in my mind when contemplating bringing the curtain down on MTAT after Book Yer Ane Fest X. I remember having this thought most clearly whilst Hazel was painting my face before Joey Terrifying that night. Needless to say, that thought was dispensed with and here, on what would’ve likely been BYAF XIV weekend (although it may have been last weekend), I’m riffing a lament on what might have been.
Alas, all we can do at this time is prepare ourselves mentally, do the things we can pro-actively engage in (including self-care, something we aren’t very good at in this house) and get ready for what follows next. Rad Apples was only open for four months before we were forced to close by the government and we remain so, the responsibilities for which have been challenging, but we’re looking forward to safely re-opening next year. We have also been paying close attention to what’s been going on in our community, mostly remotely, and we’d like to extend our support and solidarity to all our friends and comrades who are struggling and missing loved ones at this time. I know we all are. Without conscious engagement, subcultures become mere microcosms of wider society and, given that we live in an uber-patriarchal violent white supremacist hyper-capitalist misogynist hellhole of a country, it goes without saying that those of us engaged in the punk rock community have a responsibility to challenge these attitudes and behaviours wherever we encounter them. As with all critiques, we start with us.
Going forward, Rad Apples and Conroy’s Basement (the same place really) will be working with The Good Night Out Campaign and have signed up to their Licensed Premises Accreditation Scheme to provide full staff training as pertains interventions and the prevention of sexual harassment and assault. All staff covering all spaces will receive this training. We are also working Good Night Out to write a specifically tailored Safer Spaces Policy, which will be published in full before Rad Apples re-opens. This will include a confidential way to file complaints and/or raise issues. We will also be working with Creative Scotland and adhering to their “Attitude Is Everything” Charter of Venue Best Practice. There will be signage displayed throughout our spaces and points of contact available.
We also have some work to do as regards clarity with MTAT, but I should make it clear that Rad Apples will be open long before we can entertain the possibility of putting on a MTAT show. All “members” (there aren’t really members, just humans) of the “collective” will also undertake the Good Night Out Training and adhere fully to the to-be published policies. The terms and conditions for third party hires of Conroy’s Basement will be updated to reflect the changes and all external promoters will have to adhere to agreements, less they have no platform. Again, all of this information will be published long before we can get back to the basement pileys.
If ye have any joy, please spread it.
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THE BANDS.
SOFA TIME are a fresh melodic pop-punk three-piece from Dundee who deal in hook-laden bouncy sing-a-long pop-punk bangers with a healthy respect for the history of rock’n’roll. Possessing songwriter chops belying their tender years, Sofa Time self-released their excellent “Guilty Plea” single last year and have just unleashed their first double A-side single, recorded at Seagate Studios in Dundee by Graeme Watt. It’s been a real treat to see them evolve over the last eighteen months, “Holy Ghost” a zinger that comes over like The Spook School covering Green Day. http://www.facebook.com/sofatimeband/
ALLDEEPENDS represent, for your friendly neighbourhood cowpunks, one of the greatest love stories ever told; a Mexican, an American and an Englishman meet in a Scottish punk rock basement, form a punk rock band, play their first shows in said punk rock basement then release one of the most magical punk rock 7”s in MTAT history, just as society begins to collapse and civilisation as we know it disappears into the abyss forever. If there was ever a record that represents joyfully throwing ourselves into the abyss in the dying days on neoliberalism, then glory be to “Hello MY NAME IS”. Genius shit. http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/hello-my-name-is-ep
PERSONAL BEST are one of the greatest rock’n’roll bands that the UK has to offer and last year’s “What You At” LP on Dovetown Records solidified their position as the country’s premier exponents of “classic rock for tragic lesbians”. Their show at Conroy’s Basement last summer was one of my personal favourites from the last couple of years. Singer/songwriter Katie Gatt is a powerful force in UK punk, an influential voice, incredible musician and an absolute shredder. If you haven’t delved into their back catalogue, including Katie’s previous band Flamingo 50, then ye have yourself some winter homework to be cracking on with! http://personalbest.bandcamp.com/
DOG EARED formed in Dundee and come from the classic school of the melodic three-piece punk rock band, influenced just as much by the homegrown talents of The Kimberly Steaks, The Murderburgers and Beauty School Dropout as the more obvious southern California sunshine pop-punk sound. As with all Scottish punk, there’s a darkness lurking in there and these gents continue their evolution from shy pop-punks to all-out full-rocking bloom. The debut EP will be coming sometime in 2021 and it’s fixing on being a ripper. Get in on the ground floor. Thanks for the exclusive track! http://dogeared111.bandcamp.com/
THE TWISTETTES are a two-piece alternative/noise/punk band comprising of two sisters hailing from deepest, darkest Fife who engage in absolutely zero messin’. With thunderous driving drums and a hellacious crushing distorted bass, The Twistettes deal in dark claustrophobic sonic defiance with screaming lungs and raging hearts, with twisted and distinctive pop melodies bubbling under the surface of the industrial/riot-pop noise. A devastating live act, their latest “A Strange Play” LP is a clusterbomb thrown at the upper echelons of the mainstream Scottish music industry. Vital stuff! http://thetwistettes.bandcamp.com/
THE KIMBERLY STEAKS are one of Scotland’s greatest ever pop-punk exports, released one of the best pop-punk records of the last decade (“To Live and Die in West Central Scotland” and have been friends of the collective since before MTAT even existed. Songwriter Greig Hawke just has that knack for a classic hook and melody, like Lookout-era Green Day had they been raised in Lanarkshire rather than California. Their latest “Confessions Of A Justified Cynic” LP on Brassneck Records is another premium slab of timeless pop-punk, all coming together on an incredible looking package. From the Balcony Bar to the “big stages”, The Kimberly Steaks are cowpunk lifers and we love them. http://thekimberlysteaks.bandcamp.com/
MOBINA GALORE are a “vocally aggressive” power-chord melodic punk two-piece from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Formed in 2011 by Jenna and Marcia, they have spent the majority of the last decade putting out records on New Damage Records and Gunner Records, whilst tearing the North America and Europe in the company of Against Me!, Red City Radio, Propagandhi and heaps more. We were lucky enough to host them in Dundee back in May 2019, a total riot. This jam, “Skeletons”, is taken from their awesome 2014 debut album “Cities Away”, a strongly recommended LP. http://www.mobinagalore.com/
CRONOS DEBE MORIR are a super-rapid technical melodic hardcore / skate punk band from Santiago, Chile with whom we’ve been lucky enough to develop friendships with. Having left Chile for the first time last summer, the band toured Europe, including a slot at Punk Rock Holiday in Slovenia, and came to visit us in Dundee last summer in the company of Get It Together. What followed was a purely joyous experience of shared love and ideals, bonding over anti-fascism, anti-capitalism and macaroni pies, plus a shared love of the power of community and international solidarity in punk. The “Síndrome Escafandra” EP, from which “Liquen” is taken, is a delicious slice of South American rage. http://cronosdebemorir.bandcamp.com/
10AM are your new favourite pop-punk band. Formed in Glasgow in summer 2019, this super-hooky uber-melodic pop-punk three-piece take the classic post-00s pop-punk formula, throwing in hook upon sing-a-long melody upon hook upon anthem. With tongue in cheek, these troops are fun, infectious and a boot to the balls of the pop-punk patriarchy. Singer/songwriter Beth Black has her debut record coming soon on the resurgent Struggletown Records. One of the highlights of Book Yer Ane Fest XIII, in a just world, 10AM would be putting out records on Fueled By Ramen or Hopeless, conquering all. http://10am.bandcamp.com/
LASERCHRIST are a half-South African melodic punk band currently based in London who play the kind of Dillinger Four/Scared Of Chaka-style ramshackle pop-punk that will forever warm the cockles of my heart. I think it was Alex Wonk Unit who first passed me their “DIY-Bother?” EP a couple of years ago and it’s had some heavy rotation as we’ve torn about in Hazel’s motor. Their forthcoming self-titled LP is set to be released in 2021 and here is an early “punk record of the year” heads-up. Very much looking forward to having them in the basement if shows are ever a thing that can happen again. http://laserchristlondon.bandcamp.com/
FRESH are one of the most important bands in contemporary UK DIY punk. Having released a slew of incredible releases through Specialist Subject Records and toured incessantly throughout the UK and Europe over the last couple of years, Fresh are a hulking rock monster who are sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but always full of energy, spiky melodies and sing-a-long emo/pop-punk bangers. Singer/songwriter Kathryn Woods soars with full-band backing, just as their sad melodies sparkle acoustically. We look forward to hosting the pop-punk ruckus, as soon as regulations allow pileys! http://freshpunks.bandcamp.com/
WRONG LIFE is the sound of a new sun emerging from thirteen years of darkness, smashing the constraints of boundaries formed by the weight of others’ expectations and an emancipation from the hegemony of down-stroking purgatory. Yes, everybody loves The Murderburgers but we bozos at Cowpunk HQ love Fraser more and, as such, couldn’t be more excited about the future of Wrong Life. The “New Sun” EP on Brassneck Records is a sign of greatness to come, next year’s full-length just the tonic to soothe the sickness in the head. Death to the encore never sounded so hopeful. http://wronglife.bandcamp.com/
SWAN PRINCE are a super-speedy melodic skate punk band in the classic Fat Wreck/Epitaph SoCal tradition from the heart of the Midlands in England. Having spent the last couple years on the toilet circuit of the UK, the band have released their super-tight debut “Hell On Earth” LP through Brassneck Records and continued to bludgeon through the UK punk scene with the support of Hell Hath No Fury. With hefty pop dynamics, sweeping guitar lines and super-smooth crooning vocals, Swan Prince bring a nuance and subtlety to melodic skate punk that brings to mind the legendary Tilt. Another gem here! http://swanprinceband.com/
GET IT TOGETHER are a positive force in Scottish hardcore, true believers all the way and one of our most beloved bands. “Goodnight Vienna” is taken from last year’s incredible “LIVE FREE” LP, the culmination of years of work stretching back to the “Perspectives” EP, expertly produced by John Harcus (PMX). A Get It Together set is always a highlight of Book Yer Ane Fest and last year’s ruckus at Rad Apples will go down as one of the rowdiest sets in our collective history. If ye have never seen these troops bringing the thunder covering “Party Hard”, then ye can’t be sure ye have ever lived. http://getittogether.bandcamp.com/
CORAL SPRINGS are an insanely infectious modern melodic pop-punk band from The Netherlands with one foot in the classic Euro-punk pool of Burning Heart Records, etc, and the other heading towards the pop-punk stratosphere, thanks to the sky-scraping majestic vocals of frontperson Jo. Mining that emotive melancholic euro-punk sensibility, Coral Springs tread the line between whimsical yearning and explosive punk fury. A note-perfect live band, these guys are some of the warmest and kindest humans we’ve had the pleasure of meeting through punk. Haste ye back someday, pals! http://coralsprings.nl/
BURNT TAPES are a cut above, a source of inspiration and one of the most dedicated bands in the entirety of punk rock. Comprising of Greek punks in exile in London Town, these troops have spent the last five years or so on the road expertly honing their Menzingers/Iron Chic-esque melodic rock anthems, traveling the length and breadth of the continent to do so. The “Alterations” 12” on Umlaut showed potential, their “Never Better” LP on Lockjaw Records / Wiretap Records (USA) fulfilling it. This jam is taken from their new “Grower” EP. It’s been too long since that Burnt Tapes / Uniforms tour and we miss these guys hugely. http://burnttapes.bandcamp.com/
VANILLA GIVER are a new queer anarcha-punk three-piece formed in the Cowley Club in Brighton, featuring our good friend Francesca Nana, who have just released their riotous “FFS” debut EP. All the songs are short, all the songs are loud, and everybody in the band is thoroughly pissed off. It absolutely sounds like it too. Having spent a couple of months on tour with Nana, we know this to be righteous, intelligent and absolutely furious, entirely justifiable so. The demo sounds like a riot, we can guarantee the live show will be too and we hope to bring them to the basement as soon as it’s a doable thing! http://vanillagiver.bandcamp.com/
FIT TO WORK are almost mythical to us. We’ve communicated many times via email, tried (in vain) to book them for a bunch of shows, including several fests, and when we finally managed to nail down a date earlier this year, fucking Covid struck. Frustrating, for sure. Either way, Fit To Work are a fucking amazing DIY anarcho-punk rock band from the Highlands of Scotland who shred equal parts insightful, hilarious and lacerating poetry-style barbed lyricism over a cataclysmic frantic hardcore punk ruckus. The whole back catalogue is gold; “Friends Don’t Let Friends Become Men’s Rights Activists” being a perfect illustration of their incel-baiting noise. It’ll be a glorious day when we get them in the basement. http://fittowork.bandcamp.com/
OVERO are a screamo band from Houston, Texas, USA with an ecossemo heart and euro-punk soul. Featuring former members of the much-loved Football, Etc (rip), Overo are an entirely darker proposition with firm roots in the existential anguish of emo-violence and angular hardcore, like Punch covering Orchid. “Haur” is taken from the jaw-dropping split 7” with Japanese screamo legends Asthenia through Count Your Lucky Stars & strictly no capital letters earlier this summer. If transatlantic touring ever resumes, ye can be Overo will be in the basement before too long. Pure gold. http://overo.bandcamp.com/
KADDISH are the undisputed, undoubted and undefeated world heavyweight champions of ecossemo. As the only band to remain alive and active from the inaugural Book Yer Ane Fest, and Motionfest before it, Kaddish have remained friends and been a band for longer than some basement-dwelling punks have been alive. “More Awkward Than Silence” was originally recorded way back in 2002 and was re-released last month on the “Two Demos” tape, released collaboratively between MTAT (sold out!), Missed Out Records (USA) and Les Disques Rabat Joie (CAN). An early rager, the shape of ecossemo to come… http://kaddishuk.bandcamp.com/
BYENARY are a queercore DIY punk duo comprising of folk-punk road warrior Chuck SJ and drummer Jodi Freer, who have brought their trans experiences to the forefront of their stripped-back, focussed and driven punk rock noise on their amazing debut EP. Crowdfunded by the band in exile and released on queer feminist punk label Hell Hath No Fury this summer, their EP is both fiercely political and deeply personal, possessed of a fearsome rage, yet drenched in hope and possibility. Education, healing, celebration! http://byenary.bandcamp.com/
getting away with treason are a radical internationalist DIY hardcore punk band from berlin, germany. Steeped in old school traditions yet pushing the boundaries of what is possible under the banner of “modern melodic hardcore”, getting away with treason are one of most fiercely creative and exciting new bands in european hardcore. Their debut “welcome” EP was a molotov on cassette tape, their live shows incendiary and their set a Book Yer Ane Fest XIII just so fucking intense. Their forthcoming debut LP, from which this exclusive demo is taken, is going to be an absolute screamer. #antifa http://gettingawaywithtreason.bandcamp.com/
THE SEWER CATS are a fucking amazing two-piece hardcore garage punk rock’n’roll band from Manchester who are absolutely raging and do not fuck about, under any circumstances. They blew our brains out the first time we heard Cass screaming from behind the drumkit and every second they’re on that stage is a second closer to losing teeth. Utterly sonically uncompromising, the debut “Zelda” EP released through Hell Hath No Fury loses none of the live visceral impact. We’ll have them back in Dundee just as soon as we can safely organise some kind of ALLDEEPENDS 7” launch party. http://sewercatsuk.bandcamp.com/
HAEST are the low-slung, hard rockin’, coffee-swiggin’ antifascist hardcore / thrash punk / doom equivalent of a bar brawl on a bouncy castle, caffeine-fuelled and ready to bounce all over the place. Featuring troops involved in the long-running Toxic Wotsit collective and the brawn behind the incredible Sham City Roasters (seriously, drink that coffee!), Haest are a super fun-time thrash band from the deepest south of England (Hastings!) who piss off all the right people. A basement date, either before or after the dissolution of the “union”, is inevitable. The “Anomie” 12” is shit hot, go grab it. http://haest.bandcamp.com/
SEAS, STARRY are our psychedelic transcendent progressive melodic hardcore / krautrock / space-hopping / shape-shifters of consciousness DIY punk pals from Aberdoom who bring the noise, bewitch and bewilder like few other bands on the Scottish underground scene. Underneath thunderous time changes, lead-heavy riffage and spectacular guitar pyrotechnics lie nascent hooks and pop sensibilities, with impeccable ethics. They gifted us the “Larsson Dreams Of Germany” / “Hey Koala” double A-side digital single this summer, in solidarity with Rad Apples and sustaining radical spaces. We’re blessed to call them friends, more grateful for their kindness. This jam is from the “Triangle Teeth” LP. http://seasstarry.bandcamp.com/
STONETHROWER have evolved and become a monster. Formed as a noisy four-piece in Dundee sometime in the last decade, these ecossemo punks and long-time “scene veterans” (sorry, friends) have grown from a noisy, angsty yet ultimately joyous alt-pop / emo band that we met on the “Swells / Repels” EP into the massive wall-of-noise rock beast that is this year’s weapons-grade ecossemo monolith “LEGACIES”. Released digitally with half of proceeds going to CRER Scotand (Campaign for Racial Equality and Rights), we’ve donated £300 to the cause thus far. The vinyl preorder is coming. http://stonethroweruk.bandcamp.com/
KILLDREN are something else; banned from Glastonbury Festival, hounded by the tabloid press, fingered by the authorities, a threat to national security and the most dangerous band since the Sex Pistols! Sure, it’s all just media hysterics but there’s truth behind the scaremongering; Killdren may well be a threat to your health and well-being, as the popularity of their enduring anthem “Kill Tory Scum” attests. They visited us this time last year and it was bonkers. Follow their journey, it’s fun time, oi! http://killdren.bandcamp.com/
HEXIS may well be the pinnacle of extreme european blackened hardcore / black metal. A band of such sonic extremity that they may well strip the enamel from your teeth, they have a work ethic like no other, having last completed a 140-day tour before Covid took hold. Their show in the basement a couple of years ago was just mental; 18 minutes of sheer sonic terrorism, awe and fear in a packed out, confused as fuck room. They played the Balcony back in the day too, and they’ll be back. Peerless shit. http://hexisband.bandcamp.com/
FISTYMUFFS are a political rrrrriot punk three-piece who are graduates of the Edinburgh Girls Rock School. Wielding their uncompromising inclusive feminist politics with spoken word poetry, danceable disco-punk rhythms, power-chord driven distorted guitars and gang vocals, Fistymuffs are as much a call to arms as a punk rock band. Their show in the foyer of Abertay University at Book Yer Ane Fest XII was an all-time classic moment. Their second “We Fight” EP shows their progression, tackling gentrification and increased alienation in a hyper-capitalist world. http://fistymuffs.bandcamp.com
KAPIL SESHASAYEE is a visionary, a genre-defying groundbreaking artist, revolutionary and multi-instrumentalist poet based in Glasgow, delivering audio adventures and educational experiences through his thoroughly unique brand of Desi Futurism. First encountering Kapil on a bleak Wednesday in a near-empty Dundee club that no longer exists, the creative compulsion that drives his work was palpable at that time and has proven fruitful. The “A Sacred Bore” LP has propelled Kapil to thoroughly deserved yet unforeseen heights, this classic jam last performed live at BYAF XIII. http://kapilseshasayee.bandcamp.com/
KATIE MF is a folk-punk singer/songwriter in the classic one-human-and-a-guitar style from London Town who can be periodically seen ripping it up with her three-piece (or sometimes two-piece) plugged-in, full-on power-folk-punk ensemble or treading the floors alone. With hope in defiance and fists in the air, Katie plays contagious hooky smart pop-punk with a quintessentially English wit and charm. Sometimes ye just cannae beat three or four chords and a simple melody. FFO; Frank Turner, Defiance, Ohio. http://katiemf.bandcamp.com/
ECHO MACHINE are a synth-driven goth-pop band from Dundee who just can’t help themselves but write utterly irresistible melodic rock earworms, the hooks nestling themselves insidious in your inner ear, creeping out during the quiet moments. Their debut “Instant Transmissions” LP was released on beautiful red vinyl earlier this year through local record store / label Assai Records and is a modern synth-pop masterpiece, built for stadiums but just as at home nestled into the confines of a basement. http://www.facebook.com/echomachinez
CONCEPT CAR deals in transcendent meditative post-rock dreamscapes / soundtracks that evoke equal parts quiet contemplation and roof-down driving down the highway euphoric glory. The debut “Luxury Interior” EP was released in solidarity with Rad Apples through MTAT right back at the start of lockdown and Fraser partook of the first ever live Concept Car performance as part of Dae Yer Ane Streams. One of our generation’s most talented musicians, this couldn’t be further removed from the bombastic and filth of Fat Goth, instead exploring the limits of consciousness as guitars take flight. http://www.facebook.com/conceptcarmusic/
GREENBACK plays soulful bass-driven angular DIY shoegaze/indie-pop. Shire-dwelling songwriter Lynn Matthews made her debut in the basement in the company of kindred spirits Heir Of The Cursed and Nicola Madill at Dundee Women’s Festival back in March. With groove, wit and an ability to weave melodies from thin air, Greenback is a unique and exhilirating perform whose debut album “Talk To Strangers” demands both your attention and repeated listening. http://lmgreenback.bandcamp.com/
FREDDY FUDD PUCKER is a multi-talented artist and DIY folk/punk/musician originally from Aotearoa, now residing in Berlin, Germany. As one of the most wonderful humans alive, Freddy writes anti-capitalist love songs and the longing romantic banger contained herein is taken from the “The Weather Knows Us Better Than We Know The Weather” LP, released this year on Rebel High Records. A long-time friend of MTAT, from BYAF to the undergound squat venues of Berlin, we sure do miss them. Give Freddy your time and you’ll be rewarded in spades. http://freddyfuddpucker.bandcamp.com/
EFA SUPERTRAMP is a one woman riot squad from Wales who’s spent the best part of the last decade on the road around the festivals and squats of Europe, touring the length and breadth of the continent, all across the UK and everywhere else in between. As a bilingual singer/songwriter, Efa possesses a voice of great power, channelling the revolutionary nomadic anarcha-punk spirit and heavily influenced by the Welsh socialist folk tradition. “How Far?” is taken from 2020’s explosive “Apocalypstick Blues” LP, coming hot on the heels on the amazing “All My Friends Are Freedom Fighters” 7”. http://efasupertramp.co.uk/
Wolves&Wolves&Wolves&Wolves are a gruff melodic punk rock band from Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA on Wiretap Records, with whom we’re grateful to have made friends after they came to visit us in the basement, booked by long-time co-conspirators Gunner Records. Playing classic irresisitible blue collar antifascist pop-punk rock, Wolvesx4 have been kind enough to provide us with an exclusive acoustic demo of “Empires”, the full band version of which will be on next year’s new LP. Ye can just imagine them tearing it up on Saturday tea-time at Book Yer Ane Fest, I can smell it! http://wolvesx4.bandcamp.com/
PAIGE BELLER is an enigmatic lo-fi/DIY singer/songwriter/soundscape artist from Dayton, Ohio, USA. We had the pleasure of meeting Paige when we played a show together in a basement underneath a Jamaican Roti restaurant in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada on a freezing Tuesday night in December whilst on the “You Are Never Alone” Tour with Chris Snelgrove in 2018. A powerful yet introspective performer, Paige weaves narratives through minimalist sounds and hauntingly intense vocals. We’re delighted to have also have hosted a set from Paige as part of Dae Yer Ane Streams. Incredible stuff. http://paigebeller.bandcamp.com/
MICAH SCHNABEL is one of America’s greatest songwriters. Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, for seventeen years Micah has been the frontperson of legendary US country punk’n’rollers Two Cow Garage, producing seven full-lengths, and persuing the solo course, often touring with artist partner Vanessa Jean Speckman, for over a decade. “Existential Dread Machine” is a zeitgeist-capturing dystopian anthem that illustrates everything about the acerbic observational wit and songwriter chops of its tunesmith. Truly one of the great songs about one of the worst years in history. Micah’s first novel, “Hello My Name Is Henry”, has also just been published by White Gorilla Press. http://micahschnabel.bandcamp.com/
RIVIERA KID are a two-piece fuzzed-out amped-up non-binary posi-core lo-fi grunge/punk band from Margate, South England who have released EPs on both Hell Hath No Fury and Back From The Dead Records. They sweeped across the DIY festival circuit in the UK last year and were fixed up for a busy 2020 before Covid took hold, as we all were, of course. This is oftentimes challenging listening, reinforcing the importance of positivity in the struggle, something which can all too often be ignored. A glorious racket, for sure. http://www.facebook.com/rivierakidmusic
UNIFORMS are a bunch of east coast cowpunks who like to bring the ruckus. We haven’t been doing much at all under lockdown, I’ve been making electronic music as platitudes, but that debut LP will emerge some time. This version of “Get Me Out Of Here” was completely spontaneous, captured as we were messing around and soundchecking for a live session at Kesbri Studios during the “Reasons To Breathe” 7” tour. Huge thanks to Ant Booth for capturing it. Keep your eyes peeeld for TNS 100 too! All proceeds from digital downloads from Uniforms are being donated to LGBT Youth Scotland. http://uniforms.bandcamp.com/
PAPER RIFLES have undoubtedly been the most prolific band in Scotland under lockdown conditions. We got together with our comrades at Anti-Manifesto to co-release the essential “Traitor’s Hill” LP earlier this summer, which was then duly followed by a lockdown covers record (recorded remotely!), even demo material for a new album and even a Christmas single. “Get Your Gun” originally appeared as a b-side on the “Headstrong” solidarity single in support of Health In Mind. This is socially conscious melodic pop-rock genius in a world without a social conscience. We miss our teachers. http://paper-rifles.bandcamp.com/
SADSACK is the 90s alt-pop alter-ego of Graham from Goodbye Blue Monday. After experiencing a mental breakdown during lockdown, in isolation from his bandmates, Graham began his steps towards emotional recovery by creating a super sweet, sensitive hook-filled sugary sad synth-poppy zinger. Full of characteristic self-loathing, Sadsack highlights a softer side to the dark prince of Scottish pop-punk. This is the debut release!
HAYSTACK MONOLITH brings joy wherever they go. A one-human multi-instrumentalist lo-fi / hi-fi acoustic yet electronic spoken word art project, you never really know what ye are going to get when the circus comes to town. A gifted orator, music teacher and children’s entertainer, Haystack Monolith has toured extensively throughout eastern europe and the continent, visiting some far-flung parts of the British Isles and making daily bread by printing the sickest posters in Dundee at Urban Print. A true hero, this exclusive recording will feature on their forthcoming new LP, appearing some time next year. http://haystackmonolith.bandcamp.com/
ANIMAL BYPRODUCTS are a queer DIY folk / pop-core band from Manchester who we had the privilege of making friends with whilst down that way on a Tragical History Tour. Peddling playful lo-fi partiarchy-poking folk punk with added horns, the band challenge traditional narratives of masculinity and have discussed bi-sexual visibility within punk. Check out this interview with Shout Louder zine for further exploration of this subject, coinciding with the band’s release of their “There Are Dozens Of Us” benefit single released in solidarity with AKT (http://www.akt.org.uk/) to help support LGBTQ+ youth living in homelessness or hostile enivornments. http://animalbyproducts.bandcamp.com/
NELSON SAVAGE are a band of prime Scottish indie rock pedigree, having been in more kick-ass bands across the last fifteen years than is decent for any rocker, and they’ve successfully topped the lot with the sleek anthemic indie rock beast they’ve morphed into. Prolific, compassionate, dedicated and exuding a quiet confidence in the power of rock’n’roll, best experienced live but spectacularly well-represented on the wonderful “Guide Them Home” EP, released in May on Anti-Manifesto. Simply classic Scottish indie, in the finest Idlewild / Teenage Fanclub / fizzy pop-punk tradition. http://nelsonsavage.bandcamp.com/
AFTER PARTY are a youthful four-piece pop-rock band from Arbroath on the east coast, fronted by singer/songwriter Ryan Smith, who well know their way around a rock song and are one of the most fun, focussed and joyful bands we’ve had the pleasure of meeting since we started shows in Conroy’s Basement back in 2016. Indie rock at heart, stuff full of pop hooks and riffs, this is bouncy pop-rock that ye could imagine filling mainstream FM radio waves of a summer afternoon. This song is a zinger and it’s great to finally hear a great recording of it. These troops know how to write songs. http://www.facebook.com/afterpartyukband/
PARDON US have quietly become one of the greatest punk rock bands in the UK, their influence extending far beyond the reaches of their hometown of Liverpool, and putting out their finest work to date in the form of the “Seamless” LP, released this summer on the excellent Everything Sucks Music. Having been lucky enough to play with them a few times, we’ve been keen to get them into the basement, which would’ve surely happened at some point in 2020, had we not been living through societal collapse. If Jawbreaker drank tea by the Mersey, they might sound a little like this. http://pardonus.bandcamp.com/
NO MATTER are one of the greatest things to ever come out of Northern Ireland. While dual guitars, a triple lead vocal attack, harmonies to die for, super-tight punk rock rhythms and some of the most spiky pop-punk zingers on the 21st Century side of Stiff Little Fingers and The Ramones, we absolutely love these bozos. They’ve torn it up across the globe, we’ve been lucky enough to see them at Pouzza Fest in Montreal and in a packed out Dundee basement. The whole catalogue is gold. Those classic dog shirts in green are absolutely beautiful too! http://nomatter1.bandcamp.com/
NOSEBLEED are the greatest rock’n’roll band ever to emerge from Yorkshire, hands down, Def Leppard be damned. Absolutely peerless when it comes to dishing up the goods, the Nosebleed live rock’n’roll experience is more participatory shamanic riutal than traditional dour-faced indie rock show, like Chuck Berry fronting a particularly hyped-up iteration of The Stooges. The “Scratching Circles On The Dancefloor” LP on TNS Records is an tantalising exhibition of primitive rock’n’roll perfection, pressed on gorgeous white vinyl, that praises the gods of rock’n’roll in the most satisfying way. http://nosebleedband.bandcamp.com/
THE MARX played the best set I witnessed in 2020; working sound in the basement, they whizzed through their self-titled debut full-length (out today, Friday 4th December 2020) front to back, without stopping, in thirty minutes straight. I didn’t touch the desk beyond muting a microphone channel here and a guitar line there, it was fucking glorious. So good. Like, there were twenty people in the room and we all just witnessed perfection. Sounds hyperbolic, but it was magic. They also donated the “Musk Family Emerald Mine” EP earlier this year, we can’t thank them enough. Check that album! http://themarxdundee.bandcamp.com/
THE FUR COATS are a queercore punk rock band from Austin, Texas by way of Chicago, Illinois led by long-time DIY punk legend Marc Ruvolo. The latest iteration of the band recorded and released the impeccable “Dystopia Sherbit” LP through Johann’s Face Records earlier this year and have been facing down the hell of late-capitalist amerikkkan dystopia at the very coal face. It’s been a good while since we co-released the “Short-Brain” 7” and Marc toured the UK with an ad hoc cowpunk ensemble of Fur Coats, but they remain part of the cowpunk family and hold nothing but love for them. http://thefurcoats.bandcamp.com/
GOD MODE are a brand new internationalist transatlantic collaborative hardcore punk band featuring eight members currently located in Canada, Germany and Scotland. This is the first song they’ve ever released and we’re grateful to be in a position to premiere this unique project. There is a full album recorded, to be released through Lockdown Records in Canada, with the German / Scottish contingent due to become a live band, as soon as shows return. We can expect we’ll see them in the basement. http://www.facebook.com/GodModeHC
BRING THE WAR HOME are a revolutionary communist agit-punk band from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada who play super infectious, angry as fuck gobby melodic pop-punk, like Fifteen meets early Propagandhi, and who are fucking ace. We got a chance to play a couple of shows with this crew in Canada, their fists-up punk anthems burrowing their way into our collective consciousness. In the great capitalist tradition of supply and demand, here’s the raddest small-town Ontario commie punk ye need. http://bringthewarhome.bandcamp.com/
THE LAST MILE are a melodic posi-core punk rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As well as being some of our favourite folx on the planet, they also peddle a mighty fine line in melodic punk rock bangers. This jam features the guest vocals of Patty O’Latern of Brutal Youth and is taken from the “II” 7”, out on Pavones Records in Europe and No Damnation in Canada. We hope to grab a few copies for the distro in the new year. We love you Chris, we love you Steph, we miss ye all. http://thelastmile.bandcamp.com/
HUMMER are no messing around. These northern gents play straight-up pedal-to-the-metal infectious punk rock’n’roll, the kind that they simply just don’t make like they used to, and don’t hang about in doing it. Some of the nicest geezers ye are likely to meet, these troops are workhorses and have the tightness to show for it. This banger is taken from their forthcoming new album, recorded at Kesbri Studios by the masetro Ant Booth. Any other year, they’d have ripped up Rad Apples on the Friday night of Book Yer Ane Fest. http://hummerpunkrock.bandcamp.com/
REBECCA RADICAL is an DIY anarcha-punk singer/songwriter and artist from deepest darkest Fife who, having had enough of everybody else’s whinging, picked up an acoustic guitar and started shouting at folk herself. Since then, Rebecca has self-released a bunch of EPs, played shows all over the UK and formed AFF IT, a four-piece DIY HXC punk band with kindred spirits. Growing in confidence with every show with zero interest in hegemonic punk ideology, Rebecca’s poetry and raw acoustic stylings are a breath of fresh air. http://rebeccaradical.bandcamp.com/
GAB DE LA VEGA is a vegan straight-edge acoustic punk warlord from Brescia, Italy who has been tirelessly stomping his way around the globe, connecting with people in the worldwide punk community by reaching out and visiting them, for the best part of a decade. Gab’s latest record, the “Beyond Space and Time” LP on Epidemic Records, from which this track is taken, is his most expansive and ambitious to date, yet never loses its hardcore punk roots. A true inspiration to us all. http://gabdelavega.bandcamp.com/
ANNA’S ANCHOR has grown from the introspective acoustic emo project of Limerck, Ireland singer/songwriter Marty Ryan into an all-encompassing rock band and communitiy support experience, with a mission statement of “honest music for honest people”. An activist band who’ve done considerable suicide prevention work in their community, Anna’s Anchor have toured extensively throughout Ireland, the UK, USA and Europe and we promise that, one day, we’ll tick Book Yer Ane Fest off the DIY bucketlist. http://www.facebook.com/annasanchormusic/
TRIPLE SUNDAE are a melodic punk rock band currently based in London who plough a Title Fight / Menzingers furrow of emotive melodic punk jamz and no borders, no nations internationalist politics. Fronted by a Palestinian Arab, in a time of burgeoning violent ethno-nationalism, their very existense is essentially political, something not often discussed in punk. Ye should follow them on Twitter, shit is educational. Their self-released “Glow” EP from 2019 is top drawer, the tour for which brought them to the basement. We look forward to bringing them back. http://triplesundae.bandcamp.com/
PLEASE, BELIEVE! released one of the quintessential ecossemo documents in the of 2018’s “…In Potential” LP and have been slaying basement and DIY spaces around the UK intermitently since, until such point as shows ceased forever. Distilling nearly two decades in the trenches of screamo/punk/hardcore, “…In Potential” realises it’s own by bringing coruscating emo to it’s very essence. There are few bands more powerful in stride, we miss their dour faces dearly, Decaying, we grow. Grab an LP while ye still can or pay over-inflated discogs prices forever. http://pleasebelieve.bandcamp.com/
TIM HOLEHOUSE is the truest of the true believers and, having lived on the road virtually continuously for the last thirteen years, we’ve been worried how he’d cope with lockdown. Thankfully he’s been very busy and has just released his new “LOST” LP through Aaahhh! Real Records, and has been hosting some super interesting discussions pertaining mental health on his instagram TV thing. This is the demo version of the song that would later appear on the split album with Kaleb Stewart, formerly of As Friends Rust, a true under-rated underground classic. http://timholehouse.com/
DAVID DELINQUENT is the singer/songwiter of gobby Dundee melodic punk rockers Delinquents, who has spent the vast majority of lockdown working out and churning out the ramshackle acoustic covers all over the place. “Better Yourself” is a little different, seeing David being more contemplative than usual on record, showing as a more reflective and thoughtful side. We’ve all certainly missed the punk rock this year, even the stupid and pointless punk rock arguments we all love to hate. http://delinquentsdundee.bandcamp.com/
THE CAIRNGORMS YOUNGTEAM is a one-human lo-fi experimental spoken word / hiphop project from Dundee that is as prolific as they are heretical in times of social and cultural gentrification. Taken from the latest long-player “A List Of Banned Books”, “Telepathetic” is a crushing existential lament wrapped in bittersweet nostaglic 90s slacker vibes, a delicious irony. One of the most lyrical, thoughtful and under-rated artists on the east coast, this isn’t performance poetry for the living room of the city. http://thecairngormsyoungteam.bandcamp.com/
THEE RAG N BONE MAN is truly one of a kind; an full-blast aural assault on the senses in a merciless sonic attack that howls at the moon in savage mockery of the rituals of the rock’n’roll gods, sacrificing hipsters and the unsuspecting in the name of sonic truth. In typical style, this characteristically wild stomper was recorded on Tuesday, mixed and emailed on Wednesday, uploaded to the internet on Thursday and released to the public on Friday. We fucking love Thee Rag N Bone Man, undoubtedly one of the most thrilling anti-social anti-fascists we’ve ever met. Glorious stuff. http://petrolbombrecords.bandcamp.com/
Graham and Sean (From The Official Garry Biscuits Band Tribute Band (Goodbye Blue Monday covering songs from The Garry Biscuits Band)) is far too stupid an idea to entertain with any degree of seriousness and I’ve written over 6000 words today. These humans are wonderful but they are idiots. The song is an absolute banger tho and ye should absolutely check out The Garry Biscuits Band! http://garrybiscuits.bandcamp.com/
SHUPOSTEKUD is the instrumental alter-ego of a well-known member of the MTAT bringing the ritualistic drone and cosmic sadness from the edge of zen straight into your heart. Having begun as a sonic experimentation, Shupostekud found form and performed live first the first time at the turn of the last year, before participating in Dae Yer Ane Streams come lockdown. Check it here and get ready for the dance party, before YouTube copyright controls come in and fuck up the whole party. Damn cops.
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Artwork by Kel.
We’d like to extend a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all the incredible bands, artists, musicians and labels who have taken the time and love to send us a song for this solidarity compliation. In my head, I was putting together a mixtape of acts that I would have loved to have booked for Rad Apples and Conroy’s Basement at Book Yer Ane Fest XIV. I guess I really should write some kind of “comprehensive” history of the evolution of Book Yer Ane Fest, as each year has been different and uniquely challenging in their own ways, not least last year when Abertay University Union closed in the summer and we were left with a half-booked festival and the pub above our beloved basement was due to close. That’s essentially part of the Rad Apples origin story; straight off tour and into the “boardroom”. How in the blue hell did we ever get here?
I don’t know how much longer I can waffle on and if anybody is even going to read these goddamn liner notes, but I’m guessing this’ll have been a blog somewhere too. Thank YOU for supporting Dundee Women’s Aid in picking up this comp and for supporting MTAT for so damn long.
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LOCKDOWN RELEASES
Kaddish – The “Two Demos” Tape. Released in the spirit of internationalist collaboration, the “Two Demos” tape brings together the 2002 and 2006 “demo” releases from the mighty Kaddish, one on each side of an already-sold out beautifully presented cassette tape. Ye can be able to grab one from Missed Out Records (usa) or Les Disques Rabat Joie (canada). Someone paid £90+ for a copy of “Thick Letters To Friends” earlier this year, that shit is utter madness. http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/two-demos-tape
Stoj Snak – “Life, Death and Everything in Between” LP. Denmark’s most radical genre-defying boundary-pushing internationalist DIY folk punk party return with an altogether darker offering on their unique screamersongwriter-style all-out attack acoustic punk. Released on a plethora of collaborating international DIY punk labels, we’ve still got a handful of physical copies left on both beautiful yellow and majestic magenta vinyl. http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/life-death-and-everything-in-between-lp
platitudes – “meaningless”. A complete sonic departure, this is lofi diy experimental ambient/dance/hiphop in blips’n’glitches written in stream-of-consciousness and recorded, “mixed” and “mastered” in the most rudimentary of fashions, or doomglitchdeathpunk, made by me with a laptop and my sense of impending doom. http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/meaningless
The MARX – “Musk Family Emerald Mine” EP. Three brand new studio tracks recorded at Dundee Music Studios and one track recorded live at BOOK YER ANE FEST XIII by Punk4RT from the sharpest dressed punk rock’n’rollers in town. These troops played one of the sickest sets we’ve seen in the basement last time out and this wee EP is class. http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/musk-family-emerald-mine-ep
Stonethrower – “Legacies” LP. The long-awaited debut record from these homegrown ecossemo heavyweights is everything we hoped it would be and more. Recorded DIY, mixed by Esko Mastering. All proceeds split with CRER Scotland. Check out this review from Keep Track Of The Time and this interview with Shout Louder. Vinyl pre-order news coming sometime in the not-too-distant future. Keep ’em peeled! http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/legacies-lp
Seas, Starry – “Larsson Dreams Of Germans” / “Hey Koala” double A-side single. A beautiful dual offering from our favourite cosmic Aberdeen punks serving up both love and rage through a turbo-charged DIY psychedelic post-hardcore kaleidoscope. Seas. Starry were the last band to take to the floor of the basement and we miss them dearly. Haste ye aw back soon, pals. http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/larsson-dreams-of-germans-hey-koala
Paper Rifles – “Traitor’s Hill” CD album. The incendiary sophomore full-length from one of the most articulately raging skyscraping melodic punk rock bands in the land, released on digipack CD and download in collaboration with our comrades at Anti-Manifesto. Check out this ace review from That’s Good Enough For Me. http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/traitors-hill-lp
Order of the Wolf / Tragical History Tour – “To The Chaos” split single. Cowpunk goes black metal with this single featuring two versions of the same song in solidarity with CRER Scotland. THT version recorded live at The Bunker in Sunderland by Paul Le Hat, OOTW DIY in deepest darkest Fife. With huge thanks to everyone, we’ve raised £300 thus far. Deeply appreciated. http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/to-the-chaos
ALLDEEPENDS – “Hello MY NAME IS” 7”. Our last vinyl release sent to press before our world changed, if this internationalist punk rock zinger was to be the last record we ever released (it’s not!), we’d still be super-stoked. A cowpunk love story for the ages on classic black vinyl with three artwork colour variants. Check this rad Razorcake review.http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/hello-my-name-is-ep
Goodbye Blue Monday – “Self-Indulgent One-Take Woefuls” EP. Misery punk classics made all the bleaker in an acoustic / piano style plus a brand new song to rip the black heart from your chest and leave it squirming on the floor. Looking back over the course of cowpunk history, our coming to work together is one of the things I’m most proud of. This is beautiful. http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/self-indulgent-one-take-woefuls-ep
Concept Car – “Luxury Interior” EP
Debut EP of transcendent reflective instrumental post-hardcore wonderment from former Fat Goth rocker turning introspective with incredible results. This was the first of our “Lockdown Releases” and we’re grateful to Fraser for approaching us, kickstarting the whole idea. Best listened to with heedies! http://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/luxury-interior-ep
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Thank YOU for supporting Dundee Women’s Aid in picking up this comp and for supporting MTAT for so damn long.
We’re going to be indulging in a little social media distancing as we prepare for the winter of thick books and long-playing records, but will absolutely be in touch intermittently. We’re hoping to get our website updated and will be posting loads more content on there and will probably use some kind of SuiteDeck to post automatically to all of our social media platforms. At this time, the “collective” is essentially inactive as we all struggle to cope in isolation from one another and with our own mental health.
Taking breaks is important, something I certainly haven’t been very good at over the last twenty years. On my own front, I’m back on medication for the first time since stopping drinking alcohol (seven years today, go me!) and I’m back talking to an old counsellor, so I’m doing some for on and for myself right now also. Tragical History Tour is over, I’ve played like six shows in a time where I’ve averaged around 100 or so so for the last ten years and I miss my comrades in Uniforms greatly. I’ve been disgusted by some of the behaviour that I’ve witnessed online and horrified by some of the stories that have emerged from the music scene over summer. The whole cataclysmic collapse of civilisation as we’ve come to understand has been panic and mania-inducing, friends I’ve known a lifetime being sucked into fucking Qanon conspiracies and all kinds of shite; social media can make ye hate your friends, but ultimately I reckon it makes ye hate yersel even more. It does in my case anyways, hence why I’ve pretty much removed all my personal pages. Either way, shit is fucked and it’s going to take an awful lot of graft to rebuild the bridges that have been bombed during this blitz. Do it, with love.
Be radical, spread joy.
Cheers,
Derrick (MTAT)
