The Badly Written Adventures Of Mycroft D'Sarde (Surreal Steampunk Noir)

So if you dont like reading then this is the perfect answer, because this online mini novel is badly written by ME!

Follow the link if you can be bothered.
Its a sort of steampunk, sci-fi, detective noir kinda thing, oh and had been described as 'Surreal' by another author of "real" books :-)

http://mycroftdsarde.blogspot.com/

Steampunk Doncaster June 21st & 22nd Entertainment News

One week to go for this years Steampunk Doncaster 2 day event.
Aside from the Trade Show, Litarium, Photographic workshops, Art Exhibition, Film Show, War Gaming etc.
There will also be Competitions and Prize Draws, Refreshments (Mainly Tea knowing steampunkers but lets hope for some subversion and a coffee stall!) and Entertainments.

On saturday afternoon there is a Bartitsu demonstration (for those who didnt watch Guy Ritchies Sherlock Holmes film, that means Kung Fu victorian style), a fashion show from Nightshades Clothing (Lots of goth and steampunk outfits) and a "family friendly" performance on the pole by Scarlet Butterfly.

The evenings entertainment kicks off with some 'Acid-Folk' from Crimson Clocks,
fronted by respected author LM Cooke, they will also be filming a promotional video for their song 'You & Your Crimson Shadow'.

Next up the enigmatic Montague Jacques Fromage, a unique performer of Victorian rap and comedic verse.

To round off the evening there is the Progressive/Classic rock sound of the legendary BB Blackdog, currently promoting the latest album 'No Two'.

Between each act will be stunning performances on the pole from Miss Scarlet Butterfly.

On sunday its a repeat of saturday afternoon, then in the evening at the 'officers mess area' there will be an Acoustic performance by The Storm Trees.

For tickets for the weekend go here http://www.steampunkdoncaster.org/tickets.html
If you can only make the saturday evening then its just £4 on the door.

FACEBOOK PAGES
https://www.facebook.com/SteampunkDoncaster
https://www.facebook.com/events/231410597032282/?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/events/1413300742256595/?fref=ts

Montague Jacques Fromage - Totally Unexpected (Album Review)

01.Industrial Revolution - Old Steampunk Philosopher
02.(I Think You're) Gorgeous
03.Corsetry
04.Suburban Pawns
05.Chill (Soy Un Tonto)
06.Suffragettes - Old Steampunk Philosopher
07.Legend Of The Black Dog
08.White Chapel
09.Edison Or Tesla
10.Steampunk Is Dead
11.Coney Island - Old Steampunk Philosopher
12.Totally Unexpected (Electro Dance Mix)

Montague Jacques Fromage (Vocals)

Guest Musicians:
BB Blackdog (Track 7)

Hailing from New York the self styled 'Victorian Rap' artist emerged on the alternative "Steampunk" music scene in 2010.
Blending funk and dance rhythms with comedy lyrics he released his debut album 'One Year To The Day' in June 2013.
He has acted as MC at numerous concerts for some of the genre's best known names including 'Abney Park' and 'BB Blackdog'.

The opening number 'Industrial Revolution' uses as its backing music Stephen Foster's 'Beautiful Dreamer'and John Philip Sousa's March, 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' and is performed under the guise of the 'Old Steampunk Philosopher'.
Not really a rap but a short story with a catchy chorus that reminds you to not "give up your airship" the narration has a very english feel reminding me of Monty Python or Vivian Stanshalls comedy creation Sir Henry Rawlinson.

A very upbeat jazz/funk backing track is used for '(I Think You're) Gorgeous' a song about his dog, however the clever lyrics leave you wondering if there is not some clever "double-entendre" going on.

Now 'Corsetry' keeps the jazz/funk vibe going, whilst the lyric deals with ladies corsets and frankly that works for me just fine, just waiting for the video now.

A tongue in cheek swipe at suburban life and the middle class lifestyle with 'Suburban Pawns', the song has a great brass section running throughout and some funky guitarwork that could have come from legend Rick James.

A sultry vocal greets 'Chill (Soy Un Tonto)' that means 'Im A Fool' in case you were wondering, the music starts out like Herb Alpert before getting this amazing Carlos Santana guitar sound with some quality riffing.

"Hello Again" says the Old Steampunk Philosopher, and we are treated to another mini story this time the subject deals with the 'Suffragettes' and still reminds us to not "Give up that airship", although it appears that everyone concerned including a lounge-lizard ends up in a paddy wagon!

Next up some hard funky rock with 'Legend Of The Black Dog' featuring some stunning guitar work from BB Blackdog's Dale Rowles.
The song seems to be about the airship Blackdog and not the Yorkshire supernatural legend.

'White Chapel' has a sleazy feel, where we learn that the gentleman concerned enjoys the "colourful nighlife' that London's professional ladies have to offer, did someone mention Jack?

So now we have an argument dealing with 'Edison or Tesla', Tesla of course went to work for Edison in 1884 and patented the AC Induction motor and worked on many other types of radio and x-ray whilst Edison created over 1000 patents for everything from a light bulb to cameras, listen and take your side.

Not quite echoing Jim Morrison's 'Rock Is Dead' is the short funky song 'Steampunk Is Dead' which actually deals with commercialisim of the Steampunk movement, fortunately Montague reassures us all that "IT'S ALIVE!"

Guess what? yes the Old Steampunk Philosopher is back for one last story in 'Coney Island' which is about a family weekend away and remember "Dont give up your airship".

Our last song is a Kraftwerk style electro dance mix of 'Totally Unexpected', plenty of vocal effects and swirling synth pulses blend with some guitar and drum machines.
A very clever 7 minutes that actually uses lines from many of the previous songs with some added backing vocal sung in french.

In some weird parellel world there may exist a band featuring members of Funkadelic, Bonzo Dog Band and Captain Beefheart, in this world we have Montague!!

A very clever album that flows with a degree of perfection that i as a reviewer rarely hear, this "steampunkfunk Bizarre" may be deemed as a aquired taste by many but deserves to be heard by the masses regardless of what type of music you normally listen to.
You can see him live at this years Steampunk Doncaster weekend on June 21st, Alt-Fest in August and Steampunk Invasion in Dallas in September.

Rating 10/10
For Fans Of : BB Blackdog, Tom Lehrer, Bonzo Dog Band, Monty Python, Noel Coward, Mr Joe Black

FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/steampunkfunkbizarre

ALBUM AVAILABLE HERE : http://steampunkfunkbizarre.bandcamp.com/

Crimson Clocks - A Darker Shadow (EP Review)

01.Crimson Circus (Live At The Circus Mix)
02.Crimson Circus
03.All Seeing Eye
04.Washer At The Ford
05.Safe Pair Of Hands
06.Hel
07.Shadow

Linzi Cooke (Vocals)
Jo Luckett (Violin/Oboe)
Colin Cooke (Bass)
Steve Jolliffe (Drums)

Steampunk is not a genre of music but a way of life for those involved, so when it comes to bands you never know what you are going to get, it could be Rap, Funk, Pop or Symphonic Metal but is often based on 80's Electro Pop/Goth and 70's Prog/Art rock.

Crimson Clocks were formed in Birmingham in the spring of 2012 by 'Steampunk' author linzi cooke and friends, they set out to create a sound based in rock but with everything else thrown in from Jazz to Reggae, thus creating their own self styled "Clock N Roll".
They released their debut EP late last year titled 'Ingeniously Evil'.
Live they are sometimes joined by a lead guitarist and are one of a number of bands playing at this years Alt-Fest in August and will also be playing at the Steampunk Doncaster weekend on saturday june 21st

Upon first listen to their latest EP the term 'Acid-Folk' comes to mind, the first 2 songs are the same except that the first has circus sounds added to the mix.
The music is delivered with a simple drum beat, almost undetectable bass playing and a solid performance on violin, the vocals are reminicent of Celia Humphris (The Trees) and Aletta Lohmeyer (Saturnalia).

'All Seeing Eye' has a faster pace and some excellent Oboe running throughout, however again the bass is very low in the mix.

The violin and drums once again are the focus with the music and the almost trad/folk style of lyric and vocal delivery could well have been from an old holyground album circa 1972.

Yay the first thing i hear is bass playing on 'Safe Pair Of Hands', this is a happy little tune that bounces along almost, yes im gonna say this, imagine a folkish rendition of 'Hey Big Spender' just has that vibe!

The longest track here is called 'Hel' i first heard this a few days ago on 'GASP RADIO' and the Oboe riff stuck with me all night, it was bugging me as i had heard it before a long time ago, i still cant work out where though may have been 'Astral Navigations' or one of those old albums.
This is a very dark song with a classic pagan/psych feel, if you have ever heard the original Black Widow demos from 1969 when Kay Garret was the vocalist or even something from Covens legendary debut from the same year.

The final song stays with the darker sound and theme, 'Shadow' also has the most going on music wise, some great bass playing, heavier drums and a violin riff that Pete Pavli (High Tide) would have been proud of.

So a great EP, would have liked to have heard more of the bass playing to help create a richer sound, i could see this band being picked up by Lee Dorrian at some point in the future, just need to except that not being catagorised may seem like a good idea but when your music is 'Acid-Folk' you should go with it because there is a huge audience out there who may be missing out.


Rating 9/10
For fans Of : Circulus, Comus, The Trees, Dando Shaft, Blood Ceremony, Chrome Hoof

Buy the ep here : https://crimsonclocks.bandcamp.com/releases

Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/CrimsonClocks

Les Vaporistes - Release Video Trailer

Allow me to introduce you to a new band from France called Les Vaporistes.

Drawing on Steampunk and Science Fiction they create over one hour a complete stage performance of music and imagery, telling a "Retro-Futurist" love story in 12 acts.

Playing their own unique versions of songs by 'Within Temptation', 'Kate Bush', 'David Bowie' and even 'Disturbed' amongst others.

As a teaser for what they can do they have released a stunning animated trailer.

Its nice to see that a band takes the time to really think about what they are doing, here already they have proved that they have something different to offer and have put in a great deal of work in just a few months.

Definately one to watch and hopefully they will be taking their show outside of france later this year.

FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/lesvaporistes

OFFICIAL WEBSITE : http://www.sea-dust.com/lesvaporistes/

THE VIDEO TRAILER

Steampunk Doncaster 2 day event information for June 21st & 22nd

This june 21st & 22nd will see the return of the 'Steampunk Doncaster' weekend event.
Planned for this years 'Tiffin in the park' are a Trade Show; Litarium; Photographic workshops; Fashion show: Art Exhibition; Film Show; War Gaming; Music; Competitions and Prize Draws; Refreshments and Entertainments.

For all the information on how to book tickets (or if you wish to have a stall) can be found here:
http://www.steampunkdoncaster.org

If you are on Facebook you can join the event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/231410597032282

For regular updates and general chit chat and pics you can also join the official page:
https://www.facebook.com/SteampunkDoncaster

BB Blackdog - Live At Cask Corner 25.10.13 (Gig Review)

BB BLACKDOG

Cask Corner, Doncaster 25.10.13

One drummer and two bass players might seem an unusual line up for a rock group, but in this instance it is all that is required to create a unique,totally original sound and concept.

In an attempt to describe their music i am reminded of many things, the lead bassist and vocalist Dale Rowles has the vocal harmony of Jack Bruce mingled with the non folkish stylings of Ian Anderson, whilst his outstanding ability at playing a rickenbacker bass as a lead guitar (reminscent of Lemmy way back in 1973!) with the addition of say Geezer Butler and Les Claypool. Creating amazing sounds by what from my angle appeared to be a wah wah pedal and phaser f/x unit, he also threw in some slide guitar work, something which i have never seen on a bass in 36 years of going to gig's.

The second bassist Molly May Hooper ranges from the traditional job of a bass player to turning her hand to rhythm playing with some added f/x for extra depth.

Axel Boldt plays an unconventional drum kit, holding solid and rhythmic patterns throughout (also operating the bands self contained PA system and mixing desk) and perhaps more shockingly actually manages to wear more pink items than Sky London did when he was in King Lizard a few years back.

So to the music, some songs worked as pure seventies psychedelia harking back to the legendary Hawkwind (during one song i found myself singing 'Time we Left' in my head due to the hypnotic basswork) blended with german art rockers Can, others were in the hard rock style, i managed to pick out elements of Black Sabbath and Primus.

There were a few comical songs and a reggae number broken up by some blast beats and heavy riffing.

As to the lyrical content which ranged from Politics (Dale is a member of the Monster Raving Loony Party) to Ex Wives and some roosters coming to a nasty end at the farm!

We should also not forget Sex (and lets face it who would want to forget such a thing?) with songs about Gimps and Speed Dating showing the loving and caring side of initial relationship contact, the woman wanting security and romance, the man wanting to tie her up and err well you get the idea.

The final elements making the perfect evening were the humorous quips from dale in between songs I (imagine Viv Stanshall doing an impression of Graham Chapman) and crowd participation with members of the audience invited to wear rooster hats and dance like chickens and also a conga line running throughout the venue.

FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/BBBLACKDOG?fref=ts