To: "Typical Girls: Women in Punk/Post-Punk/Underground Music (Circa 1975-1980s)" <typicalgirls AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [TypicalGirls] In London this Sunday?
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2010 04:05:30 -0400
Not a bad line-up..
NAKED ON THE VAGUE
GRASS WIDOW
WETDOG
Sunday 10 October
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Islington, N1 9JB
7.30pm | 6.00 | http://www.wegottickets.com/event/93774
NAKED ON THE VAGUE, from Sydney, Australia, fell into existence with a
found organ, broken bass guitar, borrowed drum and some old poetry. Lucy
Cliché executes distorted keyboard melodies, while Matthew P Hopkins
plays psyched out bass guitar. Diving deep into a world of apocalyptic
pop and psychedelic weirdness, their disparate vocals grip onto stabbing
keys and menacing hook-laden basslines, pushed on by an unrelentling
drum machine far past the end of its warranty period. For their new
'Heaps Of Nothing' album on Siltbreeze, Naked on the Vague eschew their
tantalisingly sparse duo attack for a quartet line-up, and the results
are as sensational as they are sinister. While the rickety, no-wave
splat found on previous efforts had its appeal, the heft of a "proper"
rhythm section has only helped Naked on the Vague delve deeper into the
landscape of post-punk murk. 'Heaps of Nothing' is a 21st century
codification of the gallows wit and mesmerising otherworldliness of
('Dub Housing' era) Pere Ubu, Primitive Calculators and Lemon Kittens.
Shuttling mutant urbanity from past to present, Naked on the Vague is
only too eager to confirm that the Earth isn't flat. Because 'Heaps of
Nothing' is here to flatten it. www.myspace.com/nakedonthevague
GRASS WIDOW formed in 2007 in San Francisco. Influenced by all-female
punk and post-punk acts such as The Neo Boys and Kleenex, they quickly
caught the attention of the Bay Area and beyond. The band also note Roy
Wood's The Move and The Kinks as a major source of inspiration, which
can be heard in their wonderful three-part harmonies, complex
arrangements and odd chord progressions. Bassist / vocalist, Hannah Lew,
drummer / vocalist, Lillian Maring and guitarist / vocalist, Raven
Mahon, chose the name Grass Widow to represent the approach they take to
writing music. The phrase commonly referred to a woman whose husband is
away at sea, but the visual associations of each word also provides an
opportunity to interpret meaning on multiple levels. The band approach
lyrical content in much the same way, using metaphor to express
complicated, intimate themes. Inspired by the personal, they use myth
and allegory to synthesise ideas and create new landscapes wherein
listeners can draw their own meaning. In 2009, Grass Widow released
their first self-titled LP on local indie imprint Make-A-Mess Records as
well as a 12" EP on Brooklyn label, Captured Tracks. This October sees
Kill Rock Stars release their new album 'Past Time' on CD and LP. www.myspace.com/grasswidowmusic
WETDOG shake their coat and all manner of dirty, pretty sounds fall out,
demanding inspection. Exhuming and embracing the post-punk aesthetic of
The Slits and Au Pairs, they're unlikely to make you ponder your navel
and cry, but certs to get you smashing things up with wanton cathartic
aggression. Splendid deadbeat drums, lumbering bass and wilfully
mis-tuned guitars urge Rivka Gillieron's voice to yelp and admonish -
early Banshees stylings are retooled until every sudden rhythm shift
counts. Latest album 'Frauhaus!' is out now on Angular Records. www.myspace.com/wetdogthebest