Colleen Comic

We have a handful of Colleen Green tapes left. Make sure you get one for eBay before she blows up and you're all "I should've got one of them"

BUY

Brown Brogues

Excellent. Brown Brogues are a band from Wigan I think, possibly Chorley. My knowledge of northern towns has largely been blocked out thanks to traumatic experiences as a youth. Nothing toooo bad, so don't worry... And you do know the internet has made a band's hometown pretty much irrelevant right? So anyways, Brown Brogues are from earth.

I've seen them a few times over the last 6 months and for me they're the best band currently trawling the minefield that is the Manchester gig circuit. Thankfully they've been taken under the wings of Comfortable On A Tightrope and hopefully the days of playing first at pointless shows are over. Good.

To me, Brown Brogues sound like a northern english take on John Dwyer's Oh Sees. Melody and songs at the forefront and it's refreshing at the moment to see someone who can really shred on guitar. Ben's drumming is like the truck in Spielberg's Duel...relentless and menacing. They're great... Tape on Suffering Jukebox to follow!

Stuff & Junk

Tonight is the last time I'll be DJing at The Deaf Institute for the foreseeable future. It saddens me, but the night continues! Watch this space for guest DJ's who will be far better than me. Tonight I'll be giving away Colleen Green tapes and Mazes/Spectrals vinyl. Awesome

Here's a couple of reviews for the Mazes single... Platform & Pigeon Post

The Vaselines

Oh my... The Deaf Institute have just announced a Vaselines show in September. I'm struggling to think of a band as good as The Vaselines, maybe the Beatles, so it goes without saying this is a must see. And holy shit wow, bucking trends left right and centre, they've only gone and recorded a new album; which I wrongly assumed was illegal for reformed bands?!

AND the song they've released to blogs is good. I know, weird right? The album cover (see above) is truly awful, but you can't have everything.

Anyway, this news got me thinking... How many 'favourite bands in the world' did Kurt Cobain have and who was his actual favourite? The Vaselines? Teenage Fanclub? Meat Puppets? Daniel Johnston? Beat Happening? Obviously all awesome, but can anyone clarify who his favourite band ACTUALLY was? Courtney Love, Derek Acorah... I'm looking at you

Buy tickets

Colleen Green Tape

I took delivery of the Colleen Green tape yesterday and I'm obviously bias (tape joke), but it's seriously seriously great. These 8 songs and our current spell of glorious weather is making me think; maybe everything's gonna work out Oh Kay. Reading Colleen's blog, I'm slightly concerned her prodigious weed intake might scupper any chance of a quick follow-up...so get it while it's hot. There's only 50 copies and I've sold a bunch already. BUY

If you're in the US, Colleen's selling a version with a free comic... BUY

Here's her blog

DIY Day

Comfortable On A Tightrope and their merry band of friends and like minded spirits rule the Manchester DIY scene. Every band that you'll fall in love with; chances are they've already put them on and let them stay at their house. To celebrate the summer, Comfortable On A Tightrope and The Deaf Institute are presenting a day of music, films and zines THIS Saturday. It all kicks off at noon with a screening of 'The Shield Around The K', a documentary on Olympia's K Records which precedes a who's who of the UK's most interesting bands... Please, Human Hair, Prize Pets and Golden Grrls. There'll be a stall aswell selling records, tapes, artwork, poster and fanzine.

You can find out more about Comfortable On A Tightrope here

You can 'attend' on Facebook here

The Bat Caves

We got speaking to a girl the other night whilst playing a show in London. Anyways she casually drops that she's in a band called The Bat Caves from Seattle. So Jarin remembered and sent me the link and I've listened to the first song on their MySpace about ten times.

I work in The Deaf Institute office in Manchester and Ruth (she books bands) pipes up "who's this?" which is always a good sign. So I'm sat here working away...World Cup on my computer with the commentary off; The Bat Caves soundtracking Slovenia giving Uncle Sam a pounding. Good times

I'm Gone by The Bat Caves

MySpace

Spectrals

I've seen Spectrals a kazillion times and each time I love them and hate them a little bit more. I don't know what they're feeding them out in Dewsbury or whether it's all the coal mining, whippet walking and shit, but Louis Jones (and to a lesser extent everyone else - joke) is criminally talented for one so young. It's Louis' show but seeing the Spectrals band live is another string to the bow...heads nodding, girls swooning. They're great basically. Well done...

This is the latest jam... romantic, ace and beautiful.

Spectrals - 7th Date by neumagazine

Go-Betweens/Cenetaph

Go-Betweens by Mazes by Suffering Jukebox

Cenetaph by Mazes by Suffering Jukebox

Here's the two songs from the Mazes single - BUY

PENS

One of my favourite bands in the world play their last ever show tonight at The Macbeth in London... PENS. Over the last year or so I've been privileged enough to play shows with them, record with them and be friends. I'm convinced it's not the last time we'll hear about PENS and I'm even more convinced that everyone involved will go on to do something even better.

If you're new to the band, then head over to their MySpace and tell me 'Sold To Myself' isn't a stone cold classic. Total shame

Babe, Terror

My friend Paul sent me some songs last year from a Brazilian dude called Claudio, recording under the name Babe, Terror. It's been described as a "tropicalia animal collective" and although I see where they're coming from with that (he's from Brazil and he uses looped vocals) I imagine that particular writer was pretty stumped for reference points. As am I...

To me 'Weekend', Babe Terror's debut album sounds like it could be a sequel to the Vangelis Blade Runner soundtrack. A sequel where Deckard and Rachael flee to a post apocalyptic desert island... Morphine growing on the trees, the sea's laced with lysergic acid diethylamide and everything's pretty laid back.

You could download 'Weekend' off Claudio's Myspace a while back but I don't see it on there nowadays. Buy it though... seriously next level stuff.

Myspace

Hot Spa

This song's brightening up a particularly miserable afternoon in Manchester. As my mind wanders and I imagine myself in a secluded Australian cove, sun beating down, beer in hand...I've got to wonder why the hell my family decided to stay in this country and not flee like the rest of my relatives. But whatever, this rules and I'm looking forward to hearing more from Hot Spa...assuming they're not a bunch of prickteases like Ean Eraser.

Myspace

Summer Jamz

Our first releases are available for pre-order and should be shipped out by the end of the month...hopefully. First up is the third single by Mazes, closely followed by a tape album from Colleen Green. I've written about both on the blog, so I'm not going to bore you with how psyched I am.

Go here to listen to the Mazes songs. they're gonna be up on MySpace for a week - www.myspace.com/mazesmazesmazes

You can listen the Colleen at - http://www.myspace.com/c0lleen1

Both the releases can be ordered from - http://sufferingjukebox.bigcartel.com/

Brilliant Colors

We're thrilled to be putting on Brilliant Colors next week at The Deaf Institute's sister venue Trof NQ. I'm moving to London pretty soon and doing shows with Comfortable On A Tightrope at Trof NQ has been a highlight of my last two years in Manchester. It seems fitting that the bill's absolutely killer.... As I'm writing this on a sunny friday afternoon, I could be forgiven for being a bit lazy and saying "Brilliant Colors sound like Vivian Girls"...which of course would be completely lame of me and borderline misogynist.

La La Vasquez return to Trof for the third time... they sound exactly like Vivian Girls. Then there's Waiters who sound like a male Vivian Girls. First on are Sex Hands, who sound like Vivian Girls and Harry Pussy throwing stuff down the stairs. Come!

http://www.myspace.com/brilliantcolorssanfrancisco

http://www.myspace.com/lalavasquezband

http://www.myspace.com/kuwaiters

http://www.myspace.com/sexhands

Douchefest

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133476853329578&ref=ts

So apart from the slightly dubious name, this is looking pretty ace. If you can't make it down to Sex Is Disgusting's annual Dudefest in Brighton this weekend, then Manchester has come up with it's own alternative... Douchefest. I'm not sure when being a douche became cool, but what the hell do I know? This is the perfect tonic to the plethora of 'festivals' that have happened in Manchester over the last coupla weekends; festivals that have ranged from the 'good' to the 'lazy' to the 'shit your pants awful'. I think it's fair to say that bar a few absentees, every band worth seeing in Manchester is playing...

Dinner Party (Nick from Former Bullies other band), D/R/U/G/S (annoying to type), Mazes (total idiots), Waiters (Droney Malkmusy Jamz), The Yossarians (why has no-one used this name before?), No Womb (psyched for these), Brown Brogues (John Dwyer devotees and awesomely polite lads), Sex Hands (nice), Cargo Cult (weed addled) Hyacinth Girl (Neil from Mazes other band YO)

You get the picture...I've spent too much time in London and whilst I was wasn't looking, a whole new DIY scene happened. One question though...why aren't Milk Maid playing this?

Pigeon Post

Matthew at Pigeon Post wrote about us. We haven't released anything yet, so I feel slightly fraudulent. Pigeon Post is a blog based on the internet but Matthew lives in Manchester. He's one of a tiny minority who seems to know where it's at; his fingers to the ground and his ear's to the pulse... he writes about everything great going on in Manchester and he's nice and polite.

http://thepigeonpost.wordpress.com/2010/05/26/suffering-jukebox/