Ah, the English. I’ve convinced myself that the only explanation is that they’ve got something in the water over there that just makes them vastly better songwriters than anywhere else in the world. I’m certainly biased on this topic; I happened to stumble upon my father’s CD collection, which included a heavy dose of Joy Division, The Fall, Happy Mondays, The Smiths, T. Rex, and a shit ton of other British groups at a fairly early age. I like to think I know a bit about the general history of British rock/pop music. But even England went through a long stretch without producing any worthwhile bands; after The Libertines had a few alright tunes in the early 2000’s, they were tastelessly emulated ad nauseum for the next decade, and guitar music was christened dead. Don’t try to talk to me about Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, any of it.
I’m glad to tell you that the wait is over; the British are back. They’re back and they’re dangerous. They’re on the ground in South London, Brixton and Peckham; they’re in Manchester; they’re standing over the edge and pissing into the void. In a world full of bands dying to get that new single onto a Spotify playlist, to get that 7/10 review on Pitchfork, to “make it” while playing it completely safe, these bands are dangerous. Odds are most of them will flame out in a blazing ball of hallucinogens, uppers, downers, and whatever else they’re on in due time, like most all the great ones just so happen to do. Buckle the fuck in.
Who: Insecure Men
Where: South London (Brixton)
Tunes: I Don’t Wanna Dance (With My Baby), Teenage Toy, Buried in The Bleak
Insecure Men is the side project of Saul Adamczewski, also the guitarist and songwriter, along with Lias Kaci Saoudi, of the Fat White Family. Saul’s one of the best songwriters around. The Fat White Family have been my favorite group for the last 5 years (they formed in 2011, but didn’t release their first album, Champagne Holocaust, until 2013). Saul began Insecure Men after temporarily leaving FWF in late 2016 to attend rehabilitation for a nasty heroin addiction. In many ways, Saul has played a vital role in the emergence of the South London scene; the Fat White Family’s early gigs at the Windmill Brixton are the stuff of legend (seriously, watch a Fat White gig on Youtube), and every subsequent group on this list has cited their influence. While Fat White Family is known for their electric live shows, political songwriting, and hedonistic nature (Lias Saoudi wiped his own shit on himself during a gig), Insecure Men is, in comparison, child's play. In an interview with John Doran of The Quietus (the second most worthwhile music source on the planet, behind only The Note), Saul said that if “Fat Whites are like a shot of speed, Insecure Men is like a really good cup of coffee.” As for the sound? “Pretty music with a dark underbelly.” He released the groups debut album, Insecure Men, last February, and it includes songs about Cliff Richard, The British government’s "Operation Yewtree” campaign that exposed the rampant pedophilia within the BBC during the 60’s and 70’s (We're looking at you Jimmy Saville), Gary Glitter, the ghost of Whitney Houston, and a host of other weird stuff. As for influences? Saul cites The Carpenters, Arthur Lyman, Gary Wilson, Denim, and other obscurities. Insecure Men is currently on tour in England, but they usually are only able to tour for a week or 2 at a time, because Saul is that much of a wildcard; you just don’t know if he’ll be able to keep it together. DANGEROUS.
I DON’T WANNA DANCE WITH MY BABY
LIVE
Who: Shame
Where: London (Brixton)
Tunes: Gold Hole, One Rizla, Concrete
I had the immense pleasure of witnessing the glory that is Shame earlier this month when they hit the Doug Fir in Portland. It being their second to last date (they continued to the Teragram in LA the following evening) on a US tour in support of their January ‘18 debut Songs of Praise that included nights at Baby’s All Right and all the other buzz joints around the country, they were purely on form. Led by the must see and genuinely charismatic front man Charlie Steen, the 5 piece from Brixton (remember Fat White Family? Shame shared a rehearsal room with them atop the Queens Head Pub and shared the bill with them on more than a few occasions at the Windmill) are, like Goat Girl, Warmduscher, and Insecure Men, distinctly born out of this South London thing, and now they’re taking over the world. Steen’s on stage presence is special, he commands the room, but maintains a real vulnerability in the process. They’re enjoying themselves, the bassist was banging out star jumps every 3 seconds during the gig, rolling across the stage and everything. They’ve been compared to Gang of Four, The Fall, and a host of other righteous shit.
ONE RIZLA
LIVE
Who: Cabbage
Where: Manchester, England
Tunes: Kevin, Terrorist Synthesizer, Fraudulent Artist
Manchester, of course, needs to be represented. Cabbage are putting on for the city currently; the group, helmed by singer and “multi-instrumentalist” Lee Broadbent and guitarist/singer Joe Martin, released a few early tunes through Tim Burgess’s O Genesis records and have grinded out a buzz over the last 2 years. Now they’re playing to huge crowds at festivals around the world, with swagger that even early 90’s Happy Mondays would appreciate. Joe Martin, at this summer's Cabaret Vert festival in France, repeatedly slurred “Je Suis rock and roll” into the microphone, before launching into crackers like Kevin (watch here).
Another group renowned for their live act, Cabbage often cites The Fall and Butthole Surfers as some of their musical heroes. Yet to tour America, expect Cabbage to keep plugging away in Europe; last year they played a tour at every town in England that voted Brexit, hoping that their songs railing against austerity would perhaps strike a chord among some of those lost souls. They have a song called ‘Necroflat in the Palace’ about the royal family; you can guess their style of humour. Get on the Cabbage, right now.
KEVIN
LIVE
Who: Warmduscher
Where: South London London (Brixton)
Tunes: Uncle Sleepover
Warmduscher is weird. It’s pretty much half spoken word, half labour leaning Sleaford Mods’esque rapping, half funk heavy psychedelia. Whole badass. Fronted by the enigmatic Clams Baker, Warmduscher (which apparently is a German slang word for wimp, or more specifically somebody who takes warm showers) looks like they’ve landed on earth completely by accident, from a spaceship. Also in the group is Jack Everett, former drummer for Fat White Family, and Ben Romans-Hopcraft, who happens to also be the bassist in Insecure Men. They often perform at the Windmill in Brixton, but are now touring around Britain and Europe extensively. Their Instagram page is a must follow for anti-Trump and general leftist memes. Clams gobbles up more acid than Jerry Garcia in his prime. They sing about Florida. Like I said, it’s weird, weird stuff.
UNCLE SLEEPOVER
LIVE
Who:Goat Girl
Where: London (Brixton)
Tunes: Country Sleaze
What do you know, Goat Girl also came up through gigging ferociously at the Windmill Brixton over the last few years, and are now playing huge festivals. The girl group plays country-tinged psych-rock reminiscent of The Gun Club and Country Teasers, and have been signed to Rough Trade for 2 years now. They’re some of the coolest looking people ever as well. True fashion icons. Goat Girl will have cracked America by this time next year, bet on it.
COUNTRY SLEAZE
LIVE
I’m glad to tell you that the wait is over; the British are back. They’re back and they’re dangerous. They’re on the ground in South London, Brixton and Peckham; they’re in Manchester; they’re standing over the edge and pissing into the void. In a world full of bands dying to get that new single onto a Spotify playlist, to get that 7/10 review on Pitchfork, to “make it” while playing it completely safe, these bands are dangerous. Odds are most of them will flame out in a blazing ball of hallucinogens, uppers, downers, and whatever else they’re on in due time, like most all the great ones just so happen to do. Buckle the fuck in.
Who: Insecure Men
Where: South London (Brixton)
Tunes: I Don’t Wanna Dance (With My Baby), Teenage Toy, Buried in The Bleak
Insecure Men is the side project of Saul Adamczewski, also the guitarist and songwriter, along with Lias Kaci Saoudi, of the Fat White Family. Saul’s one of the best songwriters around. The Fat White Family have been my favorite group for the last 5 years (they formed in 2011, but didn’t release their first album, Champagne Holocaust, until 2013). Saul began Insecure Men after temporarily leaving FWF in late 2016 to attend rehabilitation for a nasty heroin addiction. In many ways, Saul has played a vital role in the emergence of the South London scene; the Fat White Family’s early gigs at the Windmill Brixton are the stuff of legend (seriously, watch a Fat White gig on Youtube), and every subsequent group on this list has cited their influence. While Fat White Family is known for their electric live shows, political songwriting, and hedonistic nature (Lias Saoudi wiped his own shit on himself during a gig), Insecure Men is, in comparison, child's play. In an interview with John Doran of The Quietus (the second most worthwhile music source on the planet, behind only The Note), Saul said that if “Fat Whites are like a shot of speed, Insecure Men is like a really good cup of coffee.” As for the sound? “Pretty music with a dark underbelly.” He released the groups debut album, Insecure Men, last February, and it includes songs about Cliff Richard, The British government’s "Operation Yewtree” campaign that exposed the rampant pedophilia within the BBC during the 60’s and 70’s (We're looking at you Jimmy Saville), Gary Glitter, the ghost of Whitney Houston, and a host of other weird stuff. As for influences? Saul cites The Carpenters, Arthur Lyman, Gary Wilson, Denim, and other obscurities. Insecure Men is currently on tour in England, but they usually are only able to tour for a week or 2 at a time, because Saul is that much of a wildcard; you just don’t know if he’ll be able to keep it together. DANGEROUS.
I DON’T WANNA DANCE WITH MY BABY
LIVE
Who: Shame
Where: London (Brixton)
Tunes: Gold Hole, One Rizla, Concrete
I had the immense pleasure of witnessing the glory that is Shame earlier this month when they hit the Doug Fir in Portland. It being their second to last date (they continued to the Teragram in LA the following evening) on a US tour in support of their January ‘18 debut Songs of Praise that included nights at Baby’s All Right and all the other buzz joints around the country, they were purely on form. Led by the must see and genuinely charismatic front man Charlie Steen, the 5 piece from Brixton (remember Fat White Family? Shame shared a rehearsal room with them atop the Queens Head Pub and shared the bill with them on more than a few occasions at the Windmill) are, like Goat Girl, Warmduscher, and Insecure Men, distinctly born out of this South London thing, and now they’re taking over the world. Steen’s on stage presence is special, he commands the room, but maintains a real vulnerability in the process. They’re enjoying themselves, the bassist was banging out star jumps every 3 seconds during the gig, rolling across the stage and everything. They’ve been compared to Gang of Four, The Fall, and a host of other righteous shit.
ONE RIZLA
LIVE
Who: Cabbage
Where: Manchester, England
Tunes: Kevin, Terrorist Synthesizer, Fraudulent Artist
Manchester, of course, needs to be represented. Cabbage are putting on for the city currently; the group, helmed by singer and “multi-instrumentalist” Lee Broadbent and guitarist/singer Joe Martin, released a few early tunes through Tim Burgess’s O Genesis records and have grinded out a buzz over the last 2 years. Now they’re playing to huge crowds at festivals around the world, with swagger that even early 90’s Happy Mondays would appreciate. Joe Martin, at this summer's Cabaret Vert festival in France, repeatedly slurred “Je Suis rock and roll” into the microphone, before launching into crackers like Kevin (watch here).
Another group renowned for their live act, Cabbage often cites The Fall and Butthole Surfers as some of their musical heroes. Yet to tour America, expect Cabbage to keep plugging away in Europe; last year they played a tour at every town in England that voted Brexit, hoping that their songs railing against austerity would perhaps strike a chord among some of those lost souls. They have a song called ‘Necroflat in the Palace’ about the royal family; you can guess their style of humour. Get on the Cabbage, right now.
KEVIN
LIVE
Who: Warmduscher
Where: South London London (Brixton)
Tunes: Uncle Sleepover
Warmduscher is weird. It’s pretty much half spoken word, half labour leaning Sleaford Mods’esque rapping, half funk heavy psychedelia. Whole badass. Fronted by the enigmatic Clams Baker, Warmduscher (which apparently is a German slang word for wimp, or more specifically somebody who takes warm showers) looks like they’ve landed on earth completely by accident, from a spaceship. Also in the group is Jack Everett, former drummer for Fat White Family, and Ben Romans-Hopcraft, who happens to also be the bassist in Insecure Men. They often perform at the Windmill in Brixton, but are now touring around Britain and Europe extensively. Their Instagram page is a must follow for anti-Trump and general leftist memes. Clams gobbles up more acid than Jerry Garcia in his prime. They sing about Florida. Like I said, it’s weird, weird stuff.
UNCLE SLEEPOVER
LIVE
Who:Goat Girl
Where: London (Brixton)
Tunes: Country Sleaze
What do you know, Goat Girl also came up through gigging ferociously at the Windmill Brixton over the last few years, and are now playing huge festivals. The girl group plays country-tinged psych-rock reminiscent of The Gun Club and Country Teasers, and have been signed to Rough Trade for 2 years now. They’re some of the coolest looking people ever as well. True fashion icons. Goat Girl will have cracked America by this time next year, bet on it.
COUNTRY SLEAZE
LIVE
