23rd October

SIMON BREED

Precedes debut February 2008 album with new single 

‘Finish My Book’ - out 19 November 2007

“… if you can imagine Jim Noir crossed with Nick Cave, you're part way there… he's a treat." XFM DJ Marsha Shandur 

On 19 November 2007 singer-songwriter Simon Breed is to release his new single. Called ‘Finish My Book’, the download single is taken from Simon’s first full length album, ‘The Smitten King Laments’, which is set for release on Re-Action Recordings on 4 February 2008.

A towering singer-songwriter with commanding stage presence and an equally arresting voice, Simon is now based near the South Bank of the Thames, though his heart belongs to Liverpool. His astute, sometimes bleakly comic lyrics are unashamedly poetic takes on everyday strife. Feted by bands as diverse as the Bad Seeds and the Magic Numbers, (and, in his early days, tirelessly supported by John Peel) Simon is either a well-kept secret or a shamefully overlooked talent, depending how close you are standing to him at the time.

His songs have previously been fired by an anger with workplace and school bullying; but ‘Finish My Book’, pounded out on a wheezing harmonium, is fuelled by another commonplace angst, the commuter’s daily trial. As Simon says, “ the track is a distillation of the nervous static of the queasy morning journey to work. For any commuter who has found rich escape from the unspoken angst and stink of train-bus-tube-and-why-am-I-doing-this-job, in a novel, and never wanted it to end. Because when it does end, and the fiction runs out, then you will be back in that airless crush, avoiding eye contact and  shifting in your seat”

‘The Smitten King Laments’ contains eleven of Simon’s finest songs yet, concise, sometimes perverse, always haunting; finger picked tunes augmented by glockenspiel, harmonium and loops.

Dave Graney and The Lurid Yellow Mist release a download single '68 Babe (name, rank and rock-scene) on October 29^th, and release:-

The Brother Who Lived album on March 3^rd 2008

Dave Graney, Clare Moore , The Moodists, Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes, Dave Graney and the White Buffaloes, The Dave Graney Show, The Royal Dave Graney Show, Dave Graney and The Lurid Yellow Mist, Dave Graney and Clare Moore...featuring The Lurid Yellow Mist…

Finally Re-Action Recordings are about to release '68 Babe (name, rank and rock-scene) as a taster from the forthcoming Dave Graney and The Lurid Yellow Mist album The Brother Who Lived;  '68 Babe is a seven and a half minute epic which recalls Iggy's Sister Midnight if it had been performed by Captain Beefheart, and backed by The Velvet Underground at their downright sleaziest.

The track is one of six extra experimental tracks Re-Action have included with the repackaged edition of  Dave Graney's 2003 lounge/R&B classic – The Brother Who Lived. Whilst the original album was a success in his native Australia, this is the first time it has been available in the UK, and the additional 6 tracks show a darker, more experimental side to the self-styled, Aria Award winning, 'King of Pop'.

In 2006 Dave Graney asked the members of his band , the Lurid Yellow Mist, to deliver a testimony to his character as they had come to know it through their many years of intimate travails with him. The following deposition was filed with the Upwey Police Court in February of that year. An unflinching glimpse into the character and outward façade of the man of hard stuff. " We know him to be a debauchee, a dude in dress, a Francomaniac in language and manners, but we think him honest. We know him to be licentious in his tastes, regal in his dissipations, unfit to associate with pure women or decent men, but we think him honest. We know he is erotic in his tastes, erratic in his moods, of small understanding and smaller views of men , but we think "our Dave", in his English plaids , his Brooklyn Velour, his South Australian accent, is honest. We are aware he has sought on the banks of the Nile relief from loathsome disease contracted only by contagion in the haunts of vice, and has rivaled the Khedive in the gorgeousness of his harem in his joy of restored health, but we still believe him to be honest, though low and depraved. We know he is debarred from society in Melbourne because of his delight in flaunting his wickedness, but we believe him to be honest, though tattooed with sin. We know he is ungrateful to his friends, unkind to his employees, , unfaithful to his business associates,, but we know he is trying to create music of the highest quality. When Dave Graney commenced his tirades against rock music, indie rock music, alt country, neo folkism, and all who were friendly to those "schools" and to understand any use of the word "post" to mean "not" (post –rock being thus not-rock), we thought his course wrong, his methods bad and his attacks brutal, but we believed him to be honest. And sensationally amusing. With brazen effrontery only equaled by the lowest denizen in the haunts of vice "our Dave" knows so well in every city of the globe, he unblushingly admits he steals, and lies and swindles, but only from the best. Sadly, or perhaps not, we have become used to working with top shelf material. Starting from this level of purity the journey from base metal to gold is not of an arduous duration. We expect to fly at high altitudes and our feet have not touched terra firma in many years. We trust Graney to steer us through the night. In short, nothing but a common, ordinary everyday shyster and bullshitter- a low highwayman of the musical demi monde. Hurrah!"

Serotone album ’EQUILIBRIA’ out October 1st

Serotone, Scottish 5-piece rock act, released their debut single SHINE ALONE in August - the reviews are still coming in. They have just unleashed their debut album proper, EQUILIBRIA which, as well as the UK, is eagerly anticipated in the US, Germany and Holland. EQUILIBRIA was released with a 12-page full colour lyric booklet, on October 1st, and is available in all cool record shops as well as a digital download.

Some reviews of SHINE ALONE and EQUILIBRIA:-

Pennyblackmusic Online

Serotone: Equilibria

Reviewed By: Paul Raven

Scotland's Serotone are the latest new pretenders to the UK post-hardcore throne, and their début album 'Equilibria' is a thrilling freshman outing which demonstrates that they have the foundations of a strong career laid down.

Post-hardcore is one of the more vague catch-all terms in rock music, and Serotone have staked out their own corner of the tent. While the influence of their successful countrymen Biffy Clyro is plain to hear, they're far from copycatting them, adding in the more proggish elements that having two guitarists enables. Angular jerky rhythms and abstract riffs form the backbone, with wide dynamic changes as the songs move from walls of fizzy guitar to sparse passages of drums and bass and then crash back again. Schizoid, frantic and panicked, it's the sound of flinching frightened from a baffling world before lashing out at it, knuckles split and bleeding from shards of broken mirror.

It's a very intense songwriting style, with everything short of the kitchen sink nudged carefully into a battered hardcase before being opened up on stage and unleashed. 'Equilibria' is powerful stuff, all the more so for the slight imperfections – for example, vocalist Dale feels no shame about painting outside the lines and wandering out of key when it will add to the impact, and it's plain to hear he can nail the right notes when he chooses to. His voice is striking, focusing the songs without overpowering his bandmates, and if he's got the stage presence to match, Serotone are going to be a force to be reckoned with on the live circuit.

The only disappointment is the production. A band doing this sort of epic and moody progressive music needs the full range of studio craft, from crystalline clarity in the quiet passages to crushing weight and heft when the twin guitars attack. But when you consider this is a début album from a young band on a small British independent label, it's more than possible to cut them some slack in this respect. It's not a bad job – I've heard worse from older bands with bigger budgets – but it's breathtaking to think of what these guys could sound like with a real wizard sat behind the desk.

And barring the sort of incidents that can derail a band's career at any stage of the game, early or late, I'm pretty confident that Serotone will get their chance to grow. All the evidence shows that they have the ability to write and perform strong material, and a year or so of hammering the live circuit should leave a noticeable mark on the public, provided they can scoop a few relevant support slots. I'll be watching for their name on posters near me, and making sure I catch them as they pass through. Serotone are a British band to watch out for, and 'Equilibria' is the evidence.

Pennyblackmusic Online

Serotone: Shine Alone

Reviewed By: Paul Raven

Scotland's Serotone are a rarity – a young band who wear their influences on their sleeve, but manage to stake out a little bit of their own territory at the same time. It's hard to assess how diverse they can be from hearing a single track, but 'Shine Alone' is full of intensity and ideas; the complex and dense rhythmic themes of post-hardcore and math-rock are much in evidence, with a rich guitar sound that pushes at the edge of the sound-field and threatens to suck the listener into the maelstrom. Laid over it all are soaring vocals, high and clear without straying into the whiny falsettos of emo, powerful enough to carry over a busy mix of heavy music that has enough to detail to engage the ear. If Serotone can pull this off live, there'll be no shortage of gigs in the offing ... and if they can write an album on which half the songs are this strong, they'll have a good chance of making the grade. Watch this space.

Rhythm and Booze Online

Shine Alone

Before listening to this one track introduction to Serotone I was mourning the passing of the criminally underrated Cujo, a stunning alternative rock/punk band who never quite managed the success that they deserved. What has that to do with Serotone you may ask, well after hearing just this one solitary track I've decided that it's my mission to ram the music of Serotone down people's throats until they're forced to take notice. You see Serotone like Cujo before them have that all important wow factor and it's evident after just mere seconds of Shine Alone.

www.myspace.com/serotoneband

16^th June

Busy as usual here at Re-Action – lots been happening, and more so lots happening in the future. Since our last missive, The Primary 5 have released their fantastic Go! Album, and picked up fantastic reviews both here, Europe and the USA. Additionally they have received airplay across the board both regionally and nationally, and were BBC 6 Music’s album of the day just over a month ago. Having just completed a small live outing across the UK, a small Spanish tour looks likely in October, and another download release should see the light of day before the end of the year.

Simon Breed too, has been incredibly busy on the gigging front to promote his critically acclaimed mini-album, The Filth and Wonder of…Some great reviews appeared in both Spain and Italy following the shows he performed as special guest of Bad Seed multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey. Constantly gigging tirelessly Simon flew back from the continent to UK shows in Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow, and can still be found playing in various London venues. His follow-up, full length album, as yet untitled, is due for release later in the year.

We have just released just released  the debut album of the Adventure Club called Wilderness Music, who played two recent live dates in the capital; one with full band, and one acoustic – both very different, but both equally as enthralling. The Train download single picked up lots of regional plays, but so far national radio has still to pick up on this fantastic band, despite several reviews remarking ‘Adventure Club should be all over drive time radio’. A follow up digital download of The Going is scheduled for September, with live dates to coincide.

Serotone, our slightly ‘heavier than usual’ boys from Ayr continue to have a ridiculously huge MySpace presence – so first outing is a taster download single, Shine Alone, on 6^th August. This precedes the recently completed album, Equilibria, scheduled for September/October release. More thought out than previous recordings, the new material still alludes to System of a Down, Chilli Peppers and Tool. Go see! Dates to be announced!

Finally, Dave Graney’s ‘The Brother who Lived’ is scheduled, with 6 extra tracks which bring to mind The Stooges colliding with Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band. ‘All our Friends were Stars’ download single in August/September will precede long overdue album release in early October. Dave and Clare Moore will be in UK to promote. Details soon.

Still in the pipeline – The fantastic Wrist! Album – ‘Scum of the Earth’, The Music Lovers (collection) from San Francisco, New York City’s Sunny Winter (Mazzy Star meets Portishead, and more), Ring of Truth’s fantastic ‘Everything is the Same but in a Different Place’ (Velvets/Monochrome Set/Subway Sect/The Kinks/Nectarine No.9). That’s enough to be going on with I reckon.

12^th February 2007

With both The Primary 5 and Simon Breed albums imminent, 2007 is already turning put to be an exciting year for Re-Action. Friday 9^th, saw us finally signing a licensing agreement with Adventure Club, and culminated in lots of celebratory drinks with core-members Oliver Williams and Ryan Davies, Jon Eydmann their manager, and renowned producer, Phil Vinall who has added Adventure Club to his already impressive list of production credits which include Placebo, Radiohead, Snow Patrol, Elastica, Pulp, Gene, The Auteurs, Baader Meinhof, Black Box Recorder, Robert Wyatt, British Sea Power and Aztec Camera.

Adventure Club comprise of a pair of charmingly stylish, Birmingham fops with a great taste in literature, film and of course, music. Recalling early Roxy Music, but giving it a contemporary twist by way of acknowledging classic British  pop in the vein of Pulp and Suede, the duo have given us some of the most sonically ambitious and lyrically arch material in years.

Writing, programming and playing everything on their forthcoming debut album ‘Wilderness Music’, they hooked up with producer Phil Vinall, and relocated to his studio in the Ronda Valley in Spain to add the finishing touches. The end result is a breathtaking, celebratory ride through British pop’s back pages, but with enough innovative verve and panache to make you sit up and take notice. ‘Wilderness Music’ is a triumph, and forthcoming single ‘The Train’ is a wonderful preemptory aural delight! Ignore at your peril!

As if all that wasn’t enough, Serotone, possibly one of the most popular unsigned, progressive rock bands currently on MySpace have signed a multi-album deal with Re-Action. The five guys who hail from Ayrshire in Scotland, will release their Re-Action debut (as yet untitled) album,  just before the Summer. If you like your rock in the vein of The Mars Volta and System of a Down, these guys will float your boat! Already America has requested their presence, not to mention them being courted by video production companies requesting tracks for Skateboard videos!

In other news, expect live shows in Scotland and London from The Primary 5 around early March – check back here for updates!

Junkbox are out on the road with sometime Primal Scream guitarist’s other combo, Little Barrie. Confirmed dates so far are:-

FEBRUARY

14 - Bar Academy - Birmingham
19 - Arts Centre - Norwich
22 - Scala - London
23 - Pressure Point - Brighton
24 - Thekla - Bristol
27 - Nouveau Casino - Paris (TBC)

Please be sure to arrive early to these gigs as Junkbox will be onstage approx 8.30pm.

Simon Breed is also busy in the run-up to the release of his download-only single Devastating Sky, which has been play-listed on Top Man and Top Shop radio around the UK. More radio and TV to be announced shortly. Meanwhile you can catch Simon at the following venues:-

February 16 – The Spitz, London

March 1 – The Enterprise, Camden, London

March 5 – Bleeding Hearts Club, Brighton

March 12 – The Heavenly Social, London (Single Launch Party)

March 24 – The Windmill, Brixton, London

April 19 – View Two Gallery, Mathew Street, Liverpool

22^nd January 2007 

THE PRIMARY 5

Monday January 29th 2007 sees the release of a "Download Only" single from The Primary 5.  Make Believe will be available from iTunes, Napster  and all the best digital download sites worldwide. However if you're mobile network is with ORANGE then you'll be able to download Make Believe at  www.orange.co.uk exclusively from tomorrow, Monday January 22nd 2007.

The Primary 5’s 2nd album GO! will be released in the UK via Re-Action Recordings on Monday 5th March 2007. The track listing is:

1 - Off Course -  2 - 2AM - 3 - Sunsets - 4 - Out In The Cold - 5 - Reach For The Light - 6 - The Great Escape - 7 - Make Believe - 8 - Lost In Space 9 - Window Shopping 10 - Stars & Stripes.

Below is a message from The Primary 5’s singer/songwriter/guitarist, Paul Quinn:-

We really hope you like it. We certainly had great fun making it.  Norman Blake from Teenage Fanclub sang some fantastic harmonies on the opening track "Off Course" and was also heavily involved in the recording of the vocals on the album, working his magic from behind the desk. Truly inspirational working with, in my opinion, the best singer/songwriter Scotland has ever produced. The guy's facility for harmony is untouchable. Talking about "untouchables" enter Mr Raymond McGinley of the same said Teenage Fanclub. Raymond was responsible for recording the guitars, very kindly bringing the best guitars, amps etc, to the party and again just an amazing talent to have not only working behind the desk but playing guitar on the outro of the closing track "Stars & Stripes".

We'll keep you updated with news about the single, album and live shows as well as just general goings on.

Thanks for taking the time out to check this out.

Paul x

SIMON BREED

In other exciting release news, we are pleased to announce our intent to release material by the very talented, and tall, London based singer/songwriter, Simon Breed. Simon has already supported such luminaries as Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and friends of his, The Magic Numbers.

Devastating Sky is the first single from singer-songwriter Simon Breed. Available 5th March as a download only, taken from his first full-length album, title TBC.

Incorporating a kid's xylophone, an expiring £10 keyboard from Brixton market and a near-collapsing drummer, Devastating Sky is a raggedly ecstatic freak-out in an acoustic song's clothing.  It's a two-chord plea to someone  strung out in that wretched state of perpetual self-'improvement' which keeps the girls chucking up and the lifestyle outlets humming, set against the florid urban sunsets of flame orange that burnish those riverside
gated-community flats you could never afford.

It is also one of the few of Simon's songs not to contain some poetic obscenity. (Perhaps it's no coincidence that this song has already received BBC 6 airplay.)

Devastating Sky will be followed by a collection of Simon's longer, more epic song-scapes and live favourites - a vinyl 10" and CD entitled "The Filth and Wonder of…"  scheduled for May release.

More interesting releases will be announced in the near future.

Check out both artistes at  www.myspace.com/theprimary5  and  www.myspace.com/simonbreed

10^th December 2006

Okay, this more than likely the last communiqué from us at Re-Action until early in 2007, as we’re off North of the border to catch ‘An Evening with Malcolm Ross’ at Ego, Picardy Place, Edinburgh on Wednesday 13^th December. Featuring very special guests (all details below), it is looking like being a pretty special night.

The Primary 5 download-only single, Make Believe, is set for a January 29^th release – check it out – it somehow manages to sound like both The Flaming Lips and Teenage Fanclub. Their fantastic follow up album to 2004’s North Pole is set to hit the streets on March 5^th. Expect some dates around this time, all over the UK.

2007 is already looking very busy for Re-Action with download singles expected from Dave Graney and The Lurid Yellow Mist, Wrist!, Simon Breed, Adventure Club, Serotone and The Popgun Plot, with albums to follow from all later on in the year (more details on all of these new additions to the roster over the coming weeks), and eventually, we also hope to hear the very promising sounding albums from Ring of Truth, Stac Lee and Piefinger!

Meanwhile, here are the details for Wednesday:-

Wednesday 13^th December – Ego, Edinburgh presents ‘An Evening With Malcolm Ross’  featuring:-

Malcolm Ross - electric set with The Leopards as backing band playing songs from the new Re-Action Recordings compilation, Wrong Place Wrong Time .

The Burn Brothers - Actor Tam Dean Burn, Malcolm Ross and Russell Burn performing the set they played at this years' Burns Festival in Ayr. Rabbie Burns meets The Stooges

The Leopards - Creeping Bent recording artistes play their own brand of hi-octane New York/Glasgow punk rock - think Richard Hell meets Subway Sect via Marc Bolan.

Buckley's Chance - Malcolm Ross's Country Rock outfit, Bourbon-soaked, lapsteel-led laments featuring Syuzen Buckley - Gram Parsons, Gene Clark and Willie Nelson colliding with Bobbie Gentry during the original Summer of Love

Stac Lee - Malcolm Ross, Russell Burn and Maggie Holland in new Re-Action Recordings signing.

Expect also various illustrious DJs on the night.

Doors open 7.30pm until late

17th October

You can now find three song-clips each for nine Re-Action Recordings artistes conveniently enough in the 'Artiste's Section' Tracks from Junkbox, Special Needs, Spike Priggen, Malcolm Ross, Dave Graney and the Lurid Yellow Mist, The Primary 5, Serotone, Wrist and Ring of Truth.

Dave Graney will finally have a release in March 2007 - in addition to the ten tracks available on the Australian release 'The Brother Who Lived', there are six extra, tres atmospheric cuts - think Berlin era Iggy Pop meets Captain Beefheart, with a smattering of Eno's Another Green World. A wonderfully lush lush sounding record with a suitably dark side to it.

Hopefully Dave Graney and band will visit the UK early next year for some live shows

9^th October 2006

SPIKE PRIGGEN

Finally, an update! Today sees the release of Spike Priggen’s Country/Power-Pop classic ‘There’s No Sound in Flutes’. For fans of Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, Ryan Adams and The Raspberries, ‘Flutes’ is a bittersweet gem – all chiming Byrdsian guitars, Beach Boys harmonies and inspirational lyrics of lost love and heartbreak.

Listen to song-clips in the Artists’ section

Available from HMV, Virgin, Rough Trade and all leading independent record stores, and will be available online from HMV, Virgin, Tesco, Rough Trade and www.cargorecords.co.uk

MALCOLM ROSS

It’s been good to have Malcolm down in London over the past few weeks – in the run up to the release of his retrospective release ‘Wrong Place Wrong Time 1995 – 1999’, he’s been keeping very busy. A week of rehearsals with ex Magazine/Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Mercury Music Prize nominee, Barry Adamson, preceded a private show at London’s Cobden Club, then two sold-out shows at Camden’s Jazz Café. The band were truly superb, equal parts heavy entertainment and cool jazz theatre – Adamson came over as a likeable East End Gangster cast in a Tarantino movie, whilst Malcolm’s jazzy, surf-guitar-play subtly reminded me of why we are so pleased to have this guy on the label!

In addition to our release, Domino Recordings release a 22 track retrospective of Malcolm’s first band Josef K, entitled Entomology on 20^th November.

Malcolm will be playing live in November/December, and confirmed dates so far are:-

November 21^st – Boogaloo Bar, Highgate, London

November 25^th – The Priory, Stockwell, London

December 13^th – Ego, Edinburgh (with The Leopards, Tam Dean Burn, Buckley’s Chance and Stac Lee as part of a Malcolm Ross/Re-Action Recordings curated event)

NEW ALBUM - 'WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME'
RELEASED ON RE-ACTION RECORDINGS – November 6th 2006

‘Low Shot’ download-only single available from October 23^rd

Exclusive to iTunes – Full album plus extra track, ‘Frogs and Grass’, available to download from October 30^th.

LATEST NEWS

We are delighted to announce some new signings for release in early 2007.

Firstly, The Primary 5, from Bellshill, Scotland – the very same that brought you Teenage Fanclub, Soup Dragons, BMX Bandits, Superstar and the rest. Featuring ex Teenage Fanclub drummer, Paul Quinn, and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Currie, The Primary 5 are making the kind of classic pop you would expect – think The Byrds/Big Star and erm, Teenage Fanclub – beautiful Summer sounds!! Expect a single in February followed by the album in March.

Next up, Serotone, a bunch of guys from Ayr (keeping the Scottish flag flying), playing heavy-duty, progressive rock – but not the brainless kind – think The Mars Volta and System of a Down with a bit of Tool thrown in. No1 in the MySpace metal charts. Remixed, re-mastered version of ‘Moment of Transparency’, with extra tracks and full colour Art/Lyric booklet out in March/April

Wrist! Well, we know little of this character who hails from Co. Durham, apart from the fact he makes fantastic music with acidic lyrical barbs. Forthcoming album, ‘The Scum of the Earth’ is reminiscent of Edwyn Collins, The Divine Comedy, The Smiths and Belle & Sebastian with lyrical observations by top pervert, Momus! Fantastically arch!

And finally, Ring of Truth, from somewhere like Leicester. Frontman Nic, who runs Sound Archive Recordings, has agreed to license both his and Wrist’s album to us. A true pop culture archivist, Nic’s love of everything that is great in rock’n’roll is evident in the songs he writes – three minute classics in the same vein as early Buzzcocks – if The Monochrome Set collided sonically with Subway Sect, you would end up with Ring of Truth. Album of top pop and Velvet-esque splendour out in the Spring

SPECIAL NEEDS

Special Needs’ Funfairs & Heartbreak finally got the attention it deserved with every single review proclaiming it a classic. We already knew that.

Singer Zac Stephenson is currently writing songs in County Cork, and will be playing some London shows before the end of the year. As far as we understand, the other guys are writing new material in the vein of Roy Orbison – Will post updates here as and when we have them.

Available from HMV, Virgin, Rough Trade and all leading independent record stores, and will be available online from HMV, Virgin, Tesco, Rough Trade and www.cargorecords.co.uk

JUNKBOX

Junkbox  return to the stage after a bit of a lay-off, having been putting down tracks for their second album. You can catch them at The Metro, Oxford Street on Saturday 21^st October, then again at The 100 Club as special guests of Little Barry, Primal Scream’s newest recruit, on Thursday 26^th October..

Junkbox album and Guru single available now in all major record stores and online from HMV, Virgin, Tesco, Rough Trade and www.cargorecords.co.uk

9^th May 2006

SPIKE PRIGGEN

In our continuing quest to bring you some of the finest singer/songwriters the globe currently has to offer, Re-Action are pleased to introduce you to Spike Priggen; a New York City buddy of mine, I hadn’t heard from for several years now. The fact that he’s played with both Re-Action recording artists Dave Graney and Malcolm Ross on numerous occasions, kind of dictated we would run into each other again soon. The result being that Re-Action are to release Spike’s fantastic new Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!) produced album, There’s No Sound in Flutes, on 4th September. Mixing the Summer sounds of Big Star, Gram Parsons, early REM and Teenage Fanclub, Spike has excelled himself with this forthcoming release. Featuring a stellar cast of New York musicians, There’s No Sound In Flutes, showcases Spike’s more mature approach to classic songwriting, full of beautifully chiming Byrdsian guitars, bolstered by huge-sounding orchestration. Both previous albums, The Very Thing That You Treasure and Stars Are Stars Are Stars gave some indication of what to expect, but I didn’t expect it to be anywhere near this good. Perhaps it’s the company he’s being keeping on his recorded work to date, a veritable who’s-who of the New York music scene:-

including guitarists Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids/Matthew Sweet), Mark Spencer (Blood Oranges/Jay Farrar), Jon Graboff (Beat Rodeo/Laura Cantrell), bassists Danny Weinkauf (They Might Be Giants/Fountains of Wayne) and Scott Yoder (Kevin Salem/Amy Rigby), drummer Brian Doherty (They Might Be Giants/XTC), keyboardist C.P. Roth (Ozzy Osbourne/Blessid Union of Souls), cellist Jane Scarpantoni (Lou Reed/REM/Kristin Hersh) and mixer/engineer Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hand Say Yeah!/Clem Snide/Helium).

I mean, that’s impressive, even if they were just session musicians, but Spike can call those friends. I can only assume that by calling his previous band The Lonely Crowd, he was being ironic!

Biography and song preview up in Artists section now

Good to see ya back Spike!

SPECIAL NEEDS

Funfairs and Heartbreak is set for release on July 3^rd, preceded by a download only single, Gloucester Road, on 19^th June.

Listen to Gloucester Road now in Artist’s section

It will be available from HMV, Virgin, Rough Trade and all leading independent record stores, and will be available online from HMV, Virgin, Tesco, Rough Trade and www.cargorecords.co.uk

JUNKBOX

Junkbox record their second One Night Stand session for XFM’s John Kennedy this week, including two new, non album tracks, and you can hear the result and the band in conversation with John on Wednesday May 17^th around 11.30pm.

Earlier that evening, you can catch the band live at Alan McGee’s Death Disco, Notting Hill, free before 8pm, £7.00 after. Junkbox onstage at 10.15pm, then they make a mad dash up to Leicester Square to appear on XFM.

Listen to Guru in the Artist’s section

Junkbox album and Guru single available now in all major record stores and online from HMV, Virgin, Tesco, Rough Trade and www.cargorecords.co.uk

25^th April 2006

Well, firstly, all we can say is the JUNKBOX tour was a complete success, particularly Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Wakefield. Met some great people on the way, the band excelled themselves in the face of adversity, well food-poisoning, sleep deprivation, you know the score. Fantastic, and it looks like they will be headed North again over the summer, definitely to Manchester (Kloot), and plans are afoot for an open air gig in Glasgow Botanic Gardens with a big-name headliner sometime in September. Will hopefully do Edinburgh again, and then venture further North to Aberdeen.

Paris was the icing on the cake – the last shows of the tour. Darren doing his Sister Mercedes acoustic troubadour thang at Paris’ coolest rock’n’roll bar, The Shebeen, on the Rive Gauche; then the following night playing t a capacity (600) crowd at the Are You Loaded event at Le Fleche d’Or, a fantastic venue in North West Paris housed in a disused railway station. Paris was a gas! Thanks to Benjamin, Caroline, Marie, Earl and the other stars of the night, Paris’ Stuck In The Sound!

Paris pics will be up in gallery soon.

Returning on a high, JUNKBOX expected some slack-time in which to draw breath before this weeks single launch party at Nambucca on Saturday 29^th. No peace for the wicked: PRIMAL SCREAM’s guitar hero, Andrew Innes, was on the blower early Monday morning requesting Junkbox as special guests of The Scream at their Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall gig on Wednesday 26^th. All being big fans of PRIMAL SCREAM, no was never an option – so tomorrow awaits. And we thought it couldn’t get any better than the Paris show. Things are definitely looking up.

Check back here for full report in next few days.

Both GURU single and JUNKBOX album available in a store near you now.

15th March

Junkbox will be doing an album playback, and playing some of the songs which influenced them on Resonance FM (104.4fm) on Saturday afternoon (18th April) at 3.30 - 4.30 on The Trash Can show...with possible live studio session the following Saturday (24th). The Trash Can is hosted by frontman of London Trash-Rockers, The Cannibals

They will also guests on The Quarry on Xtreameast internet Radio http://www.xstreameast.co.uk on Wednesday 29th April from 9 - 11pm

Keep checking back for details of another Junkbox/John Kennedy One Night Stand in May on XFM

12th March 2006

Junkbox celebrate their debut album (RARL 3) release with a launch party at The Pleasure Unit in Bethnal Green on Friday 31st March. Also joining in the celebrations is the fantastically angular Theoretical Girl; East London’s sultans of squalor The Dirty Pins, and the enigmatic Garage quartet, The RT4. Holding all this together with poetry and random guitar abuse will be Dr Goose, one of the finest chroniclers of urban decay, London currently has to offer. DJing of sorts comes from the Junkbox and Re-Action Collective. Kicks off at 7.30 and goes on until the plugs are pulled. £5.00 on the door.

Additionally Junkbox play a select number of UK dates in April along with a slight detour to Paris along the way.

Forthcoming dates look something like this:-

Wed 5th April - Club NME @ The Academy, Manchester TBC
Thurs 6th April - Venue TBC, Sheffield
Fri 7th April - Escobar, Wakefield
Sat 8th April - The Vine, Leeds
Wed 12th April - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
Thurs 13th April - Cigarettes and F**K All @ Butterfly and Pig, Glasgow
Fri 14th April - TBC
Sat 15th April - TBC
Wed 19th April - Le Shebeen, Paris, France (Darren Van Asten solo acoustic show)
Thurs 20th April - La Fleche d'Or, Paris, France
Sat 22nd April - TJs, Newport, Wales
Sat 29th April - Flook @ Nambucca, London (single launch)
Wed 17th May - Death Disco, London

More April shows to be added.

Look out for a new radio session on John Kennedy's Xposure on Xfm In May, and interview and album playback on The Quarry internet radio show http://www.xstreameast.co.uk on Wednesday 29th March.

The long awaited release of Special Needs' Funfairs and Heartbreak album (RARL 4) is now confirmed for Monday 5th June. Watch out for various radio promo featuring ex members of the band around time of release.

Malcolm Ross is set to release a collection of his previous two solo outings on German label, Marina Records on the Monday 19th June. The 20 track compilation, as yet untitled (RARL 5) will include five previously unheard tracks. Malcolm's side project, the wonderfully Countrified, Buckley's Chance, will be opening for Junkbox at both their Edinburgh and Glasgow shows.

His collaboration with Fire Engine's Russell Burn, Stac Lee (RARL 7), should see the light of day in September/October.

And finally we are pleased to announce the release of The Brother Who Lived (RARL 6) also in September/October by legendary Australian troubador, Dave Graney. Dave first came to prominence in the late 70's with his band The Moodists, releasing a handful of sublime albums. Relocating to London In 1983, The Moodists, became part of the critically acclaimed Australian ex-pat scene which additionally consisted of The Go-Betweens, The Triffids, The Scientists and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.

The Brother Who Lived showcases Dave's singer/songwriter abilities in a wonderfully positive light - part Fred Neil, part Harry Nilsson, his occasional Jazzy-Lounge-core preambles are additionally evocative of Karl Denver via Coney Island Baby-era, Lou Reed. Un-categorisable is perhaps what I'm trying to say here.

The addition of Dave Graney and his partner - in - crime, Clare Moore, to Re-Action's expanding roster, is validation of the label's desire to promote works of quality and diversity by recording artists whose work will stand the test of time irrespective of passing fads and fashions.

Upwards and onwards

 

21^st January 2006

Twenty-one days into the New Year, and normal service is finally resumed. It’s been an age since we last updated, but then again, everything happening behind the scenes since then, has been geared up to what Re-Action Recordings are planning for 2006. A perfunctory glance over the following paragraphs will show we’ve not merely been taking it easy and living the high life on the proceeds of our first two single releases courtesy of Junkbox and Tigermoth. As if! Whilst both Junkbox’s Guru and Tigermoth’s I Know You Know sold well via mail order, particularly in Europe, we suffered through not having a proper distribution network behind us in the UK, where it matters most. That has all since changed.

So what’s new? Firstly, Tigermoth are no longer part of Re-Action’s long-term plan, and have departed amicably to explore pastures new. They’re a great bunch of people, a top melodic rock’n’roll band and can certainly deliver with energy in abundance in the live arena. We wish them all the very best of everything in the future.

The most important development of recent months has been Re-Action securing a distribution contract with Cargo Records http://www.cargorecords.co.uk  This means all our releases will be distributed throughout the UK to all major independent retailers, HMVs and Virgin Records stores. They will also distribute throughout Europe and where the situation demands they can distribute throughout the US via Caroline Distribution http://www.carolinedist.com We are delighted with this new relationship, and in particular to be working with our label manager, Craig Cogay, an individual whose experience in this field can only bring beneficial results to Re-Action. We can now realistically compete with confidence, and take Re-Action to the next level.

Junkbox are back on full attack following the various setbacks experienced with their US label Park The Van http://www.parkthevan.com last year. Having primed the East Coast of the US for their forthcoming album release with some explosive shows and television appearances http://www.fearlessmusic.tv  in New York City and Philadelphia, disaster struck mere weeks after the album was released in late August. Park The Van Records was situated on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, was being the operative word here, until Hurricane Katrina struck with her full ferocity. When the levies burst, the record label’s offices, stock, and all personal effects, including vehicles, were washed away, leaving pretty much the entirety of Junkbox albums floating around somewhere in the Mississippi Delta. Their Punk/Blues hybrid had finally ended up back from where it had originated.

The self-produced, 17 track, eponymously titled Junkbox  http://www.gojunkbox.co.uk album will finally see the light of day with a UK release on Monday April 3^rd. The album is similar to the US release, but has been remixed, remastered and two new tracks, Sign of the Times and Baby Blue, have replaced Strange Love and Prep Sherrif. The UK sleeve is different from the US edition. The Guru single featuring the aforementioned replaced album tracks will be given a proper release one month later on May 2^nd - a fantastic punk/blues anthem – and one which more people will hear this time around with the benefit of proper distribution and PR/Promotion. A UK tour is currently being organized to promote both album and single, so keep checking the live dates in the ‘artists’ section. Plans are also afoot for Springtime shows in Paris and Spain, then back to the United States by the end of this year. If you love your diet of music raw and unrefined, with a highly addictive aftertaste, Junkbox serve it up perfectly. This album embodies all the best bits of The Cramps and Jon Spencer’s Blues Explosion with the attitude of The Sex Pistols and The Fall

We are absolutely delighted to announce our intention to release the Ian Grimble (Manic Street Preachers) produced album Special Needs recorded for Mercury Records, before being unceremoniously dropped in last year’s ruthless clean-out. Things looked bleak, and indeed became even bleaker when the band decided to call it a day towards the end of the year. The politics behind the split were outlined on the official website, and it is safe to say that various members will continue to make music in various other guises. Most people assumed this album would never see the light of day and, at best, hoped it may eventually be leaked on the internet or be made available as downloads through their official website http://www.funfairs-and-heartbreak.com Re-Action knew this was way too good an album to go to waste, and rather than see it go the same way as The Modern Lovers’ debut, recorded in 1972 and finally released in 1976 to rapturous critical acclaim, decided to open the doors of negotiation with band and management. The outcome being that Re-Action release this 12 track classic-in-waiting, complete with deluxe full-colour photo-lyric booklet in April/May. The yet untitled album mixes 50’s doo-wop, 60’s Spectoresque pop, 70’s melodic punk with a modicum of Smiths and Dexy’s Midnight Runners thrown in to make a truly exhilarating, pioneering collection of songs. The band will always be remembered for their distinctive and idiosyncratic live performances, which occasionally teetered on the verge of collapse, but always managed to resist imploding just long enough to give their faithful fanbase exactly what was demanded – a fantastic night occasionally bordering on cabaret and self-parody, but always delivered with their trademark gritty integrity. Special Needs were unique, and will be sadly missed. There are far too few originals around today, and if nothing else, Special Needs were undoubtedly that. This forthcoming album is a fitting testament to their legacy.

You may have noticed the recent trend in post-punk re-releases. No-one does it better than Domino Records. Franz Ferdinand have been particularly vocal regarding their particular influences, which has resulted in Domino releasing fantastic collections by Orange Juice (The Glasgow School), Fire Engines (Codex Teenage Premonition) and the soon to be released, as yet untitled collection from Edinburgh’s Josef K. That said, it is an absolute honour for Re-Action to be involved with Stac Lee, a new collaboration featuring Malcolm Ross (Josef K, Orange Juice and Aztec Camera) and Russell Burn (Fire Engines, WIN, Piefinger and currently with The Nectarine No.9). All we know there is a single there, on a par with The Flying Burrito Brothers’ Hot Burrito No.1, whilst the rest of the material is more garage-rock in sound. Considering Malcolm Ross played in all three Scottish Postcard groups (he missed out on Australia’s The Go-Betweens) and is widely acknowledged as being one of the most innovative guitarists in the early 80’s independent scene, and Russell Burn, apart from having been in one of Scotland’s most enduringly influential bands, Fire Engines, he currently occupies the drum-stool for The Nectarine No.9, a band UNCUT magazine claimed in 1999, would be seen as being ‘as influential as The Velvet Underground in ten years time’; it is safe to say that we are pretty excited about this album release later on the year

Prior to any Stac Lee releases, look out for a compilation of Malcolm Ross’s solo material, featuring Steven Daly and David McClymont from Orange Juice, Paul Haig from Josef K, Robert Vickers from The Go-Betweens, with several of the tracks produced by ex- Orange Juice frontman, Edwyn Collins.

Keep checking back for updates – we intend to update regularly this year as there’s a hell of a lot going on!

Thursday 18th August

Whilst the rest of the industry takes time out to do the UK and European Festival circuit, things at Re-Action continue to progress, slowly, but surely things are certainly looking eventful over the coming months.

In the meantime, both Junkbox and Tigermoth continue their relentless gigging, winning over crowds both in the capital, and also in the various regional outposts recently visited. Tigermoth recently opened for The Arctic Monkeys in front of around 800 punters at The Empire, Middlesborough, whilst Junkbox played a blinder at London's first Not The Same Old Blues Crap Punk Rock Blues festival at The Spitz; then just last weekend, both bands took their own particular brands of Rock'n'Roll to sunny Wakefield, both going down a storm. More regional dates to follow, keep checking updates in 'Artists' section.

Finally Junkbox's, self-titled, debut album is finally released in the USA on Park The Van Records. Those who just can't wait for the British release on Re-Action in late September, can order this classic, blast of Punk Rock Blues here:- http://www.devilinthewoodsestore.com/

Tigermoth go back into the studio in September to record B-Sides for the forthcoming Secrets And Lies single, available in CD and 7" vinyl formats, for release around early October.

Lots in the pipeline, News will now be updated on a more regular basis, so keep checking in.

 

Thursday 16th June

Whilst the web-designer appears to have been working 24 hours a day adding all sorts of new delights to the Artists and Links sections (new Galleries, MP3s and videos for you all to check out), the news section has admittedly been pretty static. This is not a reflection on the general state of play at the moment, far from it, more to do with having to be everywhere at once, and that usually means not being in close proximity to a PC. So with there being a slight lull before the storm, here's a brief recount of things past and things to come.

Firstly, Junkbox have recently returned from what we see as a pretty successful debut US trip, with incredibly well-received shows at CBGBs, Death Disco and Southpaw. The general consensus was 'Junkbox Rock!', and they caught the attention of a certain individual, responsible for producing the last album for the late, great Joey Ramone - we shall see where that leads, only time will tell, but we have on good authority, he was 'blown away' by the bluesy/garage rock trio. They recorded three songs for Fearless Music TV all of which, will be aired in the Fall, when Fearless finally goes national and has the capability of reaching a potential of 95 million cable subscribers - if only I million of those buy the record, we'll all be happy.

Lots of time was spent hanging out in the East Village; the gang were fortunate enough to have secured the apartment of documentary film-maker, Katie Camosy, who is currently in London working on her forthcoming masterpiece on 'Post-Libertines' London'. As well as high-fiving with The Strokes, or members thereof, the 'Box also seemed to spend a lot of time in the company of New York's finest drag-queens and rent-boys (don't ask), all of whom make cameos in the forthcoming Junkbox video-doc of their time in Gotham, provisionally entitled Not In The Eye - Junkbox In NYC. A must see, it will be available here, once they get round to editing all the footage.

Finally, Junkbox's eponymously titled album will be released on Re-Action Recordings in September, but until then there are an acceptable amount of gigs to keep you entertained over the Summer months (see gigs section), starting with the 'welcome home' gig at Nambuca, Holloway Road on Wednesday 22nd June

And so to the wonderful Tigermoth. Well, apart from Martin working as a pop svengali a la Serge Gainsbourg/Phil Spector/Kim Fowley through forming and writing songs for girl-band trio The Easy Tigers, and Ollie continuing his DJ-dominance on the indie circuit (Pleasure Unit - Thursday 16th June), the Moths have got a busy schedule ahead. Starting this weekend, they go back into the studio with producer Gary Wallis at the helm this time, to re-record the classic pop slice that is Secrets And Lies. Gary produced the debut single and the band decided rather than have him salvage the original recording of Secrets And Lies, to take him up on the offer of recording the next single from scratch. This will possibly include doing live favourite and Bring Your Own Poison stand-out, Give Me something. Check out all the latest gigs in the Artists section, first of which is Whitechapel's Rhythm Factory on Saturday night. Get down early, it's gonna be a good one