dea Lesson No.1: November 2008

Wednesday, November 19

TERROR & DREAD



So our Sŵn show has come and gone (apart from Indian Jewelry, who failed to show; anybody who knows why, please get in touch, because we still are none the wiser!). But there's no let up, because this Friday (November 21) one of Lesson No.1's favourite bands return.

The mighty Racebannon are Bloomington, Indiana cult heroes back here for the second time, having played a mega dope set in June '06. Since then they’ve moved labels, from hometown imprint Secretly Canadian to Southern, who’ve just released their fourth studio album ‘Acid Or Blood’. It is a teethgrindingly intense assault on the senses through the mediums of noiserock, 90s screamo and hardcore. Don’t miss a thing. Go the usual MySpazz route or download the wonderfully-titled 'Sister Fucker' from 'Acid In Blood' in full.

Human Race are a new hardcore battering ram from South Wales, featuring members of other bands from round here who went out in a blaze of glory. Old dirty NYC hardcore style with low down metal guitars – get in. Debut cassette demo is out now on CCHC, which you can pick up at Cardiff's ever-great Damaged Records or download from their MySpace.

Brown Wings are a raw, cussing raucous duo of noise nomads based in Cardiff and Swansea. Honourable upholders of the aesthetic contained in many bands on the Load and Skin Graft labels over time. First show for Lesson No.1! Which makes it sound like getting a scout badge, or something like that you accomplish. Well. Get an earful here anyway.

So get yo' sweet Friday night asses down to Buffalo, Windsor Place, Cardiff from 7.30pm. The damage? £5. The experience. Priceless. Or something...

Tuesday, November 11

I LOVE TURBULENCE



Carefully avoiding gags about how Sŵn sounds a bit like the word 'soon', the second running of Huw Stephens' festival is upon us. Imminent. You might even say it's coming...okay, enough already.

Lesson No.1's contribution this year is on Friday 14 November and, in our own humble opinion, represents the best show of the weekend. Especially when combined with what's happening elsewhere in Clwb Ifor Bach on the same night. Full details of that below. But for now, in collaboration with our pals at Plan B magazine, we give you:

Rolo Tomassi formed in Sheffield in 2005 but despite now being veterans of the ‘touring circuit’ and indeed the recording studio are still younger than you. What a pisser! Mixing up cut-glass hardcore guitars, gloopy analogue synths and alternately screeched/growled vocals, since their earlier stuff (a demo, split seven-inch and tape releases and a debut EP on the Holy Roar label) they’ve moved on from Locust/Trencher move-copping to something weirder, more drawn-out and a lot less classifiable. Their debut album ‘Hysterics’ is out now on the Hassle label and there are a few tasters right over here.

Indian Jewelry played for Lesson No.1 last summer. Not enough people watched them but they went down a treat with LIGHTS, RHYTHM, SOUNDS and NOISE on their side. Repetitive riffs and fields of feedback as far as the eye can see and presented to you in VERY BIG format because it’s from Texas and everything is bigger yadda yadda. For fans of Suicide, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Spacemen 3 and Royal Trux. Lots of releases, mostly impossible to find, but their latest album, ‘Free Gold’, is on the We Are Free label. Get your rocks on.

Volcano! also played for us in Cardiff, a couple of years ago, supporting Lightning Bolt, off the back of great album, ‘Beautiful Seizure’. Now they’re back again with an even better album, ‘Paperwork’ (on the Leaf label, like its predecessor). If you like twisty prog rock beatdowns and African-sounding guitar parts and captivating vocal tics and nods to the OG math-rock bands (US Maple, say), you will be HOT for this trio from Chicago. Personally we think you should write their name as Volcano!! Aural evidence this way.

Here's the complicated part: the above three bands are downstairs at Clwb Ifor Bach, Womanby Street, Cardiff, doors 7.30pm. It's totally free if you have a Sŵn weekend wristband (£45 - more details at the Sŵn site). BUT if you want to pay on the night it's £12.50, a whacking price perhaps until you consider you also get to see all of the three bands who play upstairs in Clwb the same evening, with times staggered so you can catch them all.

So for your hard-earned you also get:

- Clinic: bone-dry concept-garage Scouse legends on the Domino label...
- Threatmantics: Cardiff-based bilingual psych-indie raucousness...
- The Big Pink: weird, unclassifiable merging of mongy shoegaze rock and console-bleep electronics from London

Value for money? We think so.