mont@ly planet issue 5 mar-009UNIQULTURE OF PLANET WATER UNITES new music p@otograp@ers, new

writers, new visual artists and t@e newer wave of music’s most entertaining entertainers VIA THE MUSIC TOURIST BOARD.

t@is issue Words and pictures by C@ris Getliffe, T@e Drone Rebels, Kien Lim, McNaug@ty, Nicola Marven, Rave Squad P@otograp@y (including t@e cover image of angry vs t@e bear), Satoko Owada, T@e Unnamed Faces

Well that was February. Awards month Brits rocking the Oscars, rock rocking the Brits and NME/Channel 4 rocking, erm, acts that are on/in Channel 4 /NME. More importantly though, hats off to one of the original Peel Street venues, The Good Ship, for winning the Chortle Comedy Award for their fab nights out. Hooray for Captain John and all that sail with him!

Massive thank you to anybody that got involved with such a small zine by emailing therocklands@yahoo.com with words (pasted please) and jpegs to be part of this issue. Next month’s it’s ISSUE 6 which cooincides with a year of Music Tourist Board being a social enterprise. If you are on the wavelength of this network then feel free to be in it.

Monthly Planet will also catch up with articles set in motion like... The Newer Wave Of Rock. What bands would you add to Bleech. Fightstar. The Foxes. Jimmy & The Banned. The Moon. Ida Maria. King Of Conspiracy. Little Ghosts. Marner Brown. My Passion. Officer Kicks. Saint Jude. The Answer. The Sea. The Viviens. The Worldonfire etc, and why...?

Peel Street - artists and audiences alike, what are your favourite small to medium (i.e. up to 1000 capacity) venues a.k.a. the Rising Star Circuit of BritainIreland? East Spanglier, continuing with the Herts / Essex / East Anglia circuit - does it work? Aside with the artists from last issue (great to see cover stars My Passion in Kerrang! etc recently) will try to harass opinon out of The Shills, Charlie XCX, The Pins and more. Also, which festivals are you most looking forward to this year and where to you get to discover your new favourites in a field?

Anyway, Monthly Planet is the Music Tourist Board zine. Send an A4 PDF (with Monthly Planet written on it somewhere) to design your own page (you know it needs it!) by the third week of March. Cheers.

Music Tourist Board friends/events linked at www.artfulfestival.com * myspace.com/artfulmtb * facebook= Playing Class Friends.

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* www.getliffe.com * http://getliffe.blogspot.com ** comics, t-shirts etc http://kitchendistrict.com *

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It’s all connected to Music Tourist Board. Thank you to all that contributed to this

issue.d Check out the advertised clubs Code Red, Chamber and Kash. All have

their finger on the pulse when it comes to worth-checking-early cool new music. Code Red was born in Shoreditch and recently moved to Camden Town. Usually seems to be a

healthy amount of music industry scouting talent at Mirna’s shows. Chamber is the

new club from Lee who ran Spoon Of Music, -a bit of a travelling circus sometimes

(and Artful Festival fave) which bowed out in style with a sellout show in Brixton Windmill. The new night begins March 2009 with two shows. Panda Power partying

began at Artful and has organically grown into love, peace and party power spectacular. DJ

Jean Jeanie and friends hit The Russian Bar on Kingsland Road (until 5am!) with

a launch party on 12 March. Already sounds legendary.

This issue is being put together and uploaded on 1st March. St David’s Day.

Spring will come early in South London that day. The original Music Tourist Board

DJs, Unemployable Welsh Scum, now run the hugely successful Totally Tidy Tours who have a live shindig that day at Brixton Windmill with live bands, DJs The Heartbreakers (Rocklands Club etc). A few miles away, Kids Love Lies are

making their first music video at The Bunker Club on Deptford Broadway. It’s all go. More about both events next issue.

Rocklands Club is Music Tourist Board’s live music event on home turf in, erm, Rocklands

(which is basically South East London across the River Thames from Docklands). The Heartbreakers host with guest DJs playing everything and anything good until the early hours and favourite musical talents being invited to come and perform live on stage. It’s a get together. The audience are talented, opinionated, party people and many people find they’ve made some new friends or got involved in something else by the end of the night. It networks with all the above, creates while it’s happening, and inspired this zine. Apologies for the

absence of the February event with the fab King Of Conspiracy, Bleech, Planet Magnetic and Little Ghosts playing and Jean-Genie / Dead Planet Records DJing. Our usual venue, New Cross Inn, was in transition, but has started booking again and the

shows on 21st March with myspace featured punkers, Tiny Tigers, a star turn from The Refuseniks, the BBC 6Music acclaimed (and more!) Sergeant Buzfuz and Dynamo Garage who have already been invited back to Club Fandango following the crowd reaction to their recent show there. Our Rocklands regular DJ Chris Mugan, will spin genuine classics from alternative to party favorutes. Come to NX Inn, it’s free before 9pm. Bloomin’ quality mate.

A few years as a disorganisation and Music Tourist Board aimed to become a social

enterprise from All Fools Month (i.e. April) 008. Next month, one year on, what has

happened so far? We’ll also start to put together a Planet Deptford style event for

Saturday 4 July. All are invited. We have two venues, an artist, a people’s cinema, a cabaret

troupe, an afternoon session and a community event so far. There’s also this year’s Artful (annual expo of entertainment and exhibition during October). Basically an excuse to party for a month. Watch this space as it develops, or share the joy when you read this, keep

an eye on www.artfulfestival.co.uk or just call into Kate & Tristan shop next to New Cross Inn and come on board therocklands@yahoo.com

these played our London live events Pop Of The Tops (New Cross) & ULU sessions (West End)

Mont@ly Planet - Page 8

For news of live events by the Totally Tidy Tours team, or to hire Unemployable Welsh Scum DJs or to book The Magnificent

Shimmer Beasts check out www.myspace.com/dastonk

MONTHLY PLANET - PAGE 10

Exceperts from the annual new year monologue . . .

Artful Olympics - are you in?

Friday 09 Jan 009 : In music, the Olympic spirit is for life, not just for occasions. Three is the magic number. Time to take MTB to the next level. Year 003 = Pop Of The Tops in Paradise. 006 = films, events and newer wave compilation Once Upon Another Time. SIX is as key to this tale... partly inspired by an album called Six and The Prisoner, No.6, and...

We are a family of creativity ideas factory. Proven ito work as a promoter and network for the future when we unite . Many of the original Rocklands Grapevine chat listers (Must Destroy, Rockfeedback, Drowned In Sound, The Blue Cat etc) now having fun being busy. Like the talents involved Artful/MTB evolves...

In 006 a one-time promoter from The Paradise Bar (which became the Six String) and his band managed, through determination, odd jobs, blagging and natural charm to raise six thousand pounds for the album they wanted to make;, The Six Grand Plot released in 008. They integrated with allies like The Blue Light District, Earwax Radio, Totally Tidy Tours, Loose Belt Films, The Playground and more. A serious network of enterprise for grass roots marketing. Establishing a high quality reputation (more about passion and integrity, than profit first, for playing class friends).

Welcome to Planet Water. This is something completely different - of this age. (then the blog goes off on a tangent into the connection between Jean-Genie, Dynamo Garage, Satoko Owada, The Heartbreakers, Toy Toy, Saar & Sky, Heads.Hearts, Honey trap, The Hancocks, Upsetta DJs, Totally Tidy Tours, The Rumblestrips, Roman Rappak and KASMs. and finishes “we will all be one day on in making future.” ) The future?

Oh Yeah, The Olympics. Coming near. They'll tear up some of London's oldest royal park and hopefully bring jobs, homes and friendship to the east end. Greenwich is already a tourist world heritage site, a walk away from the gritty bit where the pavements are paved with chicken bones etc. “Greenwich West”, we used to joke. Nowadays posh new homes in SE8 are mapped to sell without any reference to that ‘swear word’, Deptford. (Hey, we bought a kettle for a fiver in Deptford market. It was made by Prolectrics. Cool. Technology for us Proles!). The benefits to the over-populated bits next to London SE10 should be interesting and hopefully positive. It needs to be. The Planet Earth class system is being eradicated by recession. People surviving on the least are the most resourceful. Tis why this network of collectives and individuals swells. DIY future making. Today. Back on Planet Earth, the Over greedy have lost millions (where did you leave it last?}. Businesses fail, jobs are insecure, homes are lost, money's too tight to mention. No more money... no more money... This is not about London. This is about the world.

An alternative music/art style Olympics. We can make it up as we go along from tonight onwards, but in shor interested entertainers and exhibitors will be invited to create events between October 1st and 31st. Before then, more bands to document, films to make and screen, radio shows, webcasts and...

Now We Are Six years of surreal old. Artists we love posses great potential and charisma. We invest belief, where finance doesn exist. Doesn't lessen how exciting they are. History is paved with positive, peaceful revolutions, but nobody believes in it any more. Except people who are bad at being grown ups. Long may they reign. It’s R/Evolution o’clock, 009. (from an unedited waffleblog at www.myspace.com/artfulmtb)

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MONTHLY PLANET, THE DOZENTH PAGE

McNaughty...

Happy St David’s Day.

“Don’t believe in the chaos magic of Planet Water?

Well, you see those last two pages? Page 10 was written on January 9th before going to the gig where the pictures on Page 11 were taken. Dynamo Garage, The Kabeedies and Popular Workshop were a formidable line up at the Fierce Panda celebrations. DG were received with raucous cheers. Pandas are everywhere, and star DJ, Jean-Genie of Panda Power parties was also filming their show. She’s featured in the latest issue of Gravity Guide magazine, too.

Not long after I met with my panda-powered friend Lucy of Sub-City who came to Fun City for a random afternoon, photographing it’s charms. Including the home of the love doves, Equiano and Wilberforce who bring notes to the dreams of music makers and The Kings Throne (literally, a toilet dedicated to Elvis - where else but Deptford!).

Year 009 is in force and a month after writing the article, I find myself in Westminster Abbey for the fist time in my life. It is so surreal, but today is the inauguration of slavery abolitionist Equiano Oloudah. Coming after Barack Obama winning a US presidency legally, it is another moment in time as Planet Water comes more into force as a balance to the war/money ways that are acceptable to some on Planet Earth.

The album called SIX mentioned in the blog, was by a band called Mansun who split in 2002 but retained the cult following their music inspired. Front man, Paul Draper, hadn’t been on a stage for seven years. Five days after the the blog was written, there was a mail round from Paul Draper Official to say that he would make a live appearance at the Love Music Hate Racism finale that was the penultimate gig at London Astoria (r.i.p.). Though he was only joining My Vitriol on stage to sing Wide Open Space, Mansun fans were buying tickets for the experience.

Even more surreal was that a few months earlier I had found an old friend, who is the producer at Minx Media TV. It was meant to be! Minxy McNaughty, inspired by Minnie The Minx, and all that!

Since the end of last year, I’d been involved with the film she is making - Meet Me In The Keith Moon Bar (The Story Of The Astoria). It’s coming along brilliantly. I couldn’t go the Love Music Hate Racism show as Officer Kicks (of The Six Grand Plot) were completing their brilliant Citywide Curfew album in Dean Street down the road, but I was there for the afternoon when the bands were soundchecking, as the film includes interviews. The Astoria meant so much to music, and to the city of London.

It was surreal and beautiful to hear Wide Open Space being sung after all these years and a bit special to see Paul Draper on stage, the guys a legend. “No.6”, The Prisoner (Patrick McGoohan) died that day we later found out.

The Rocklands Grapevine ended (Yahoo! shut their chat lists). It had done it’s job. The owner of The Six String bar came back to New Cross in February and started running The Inn. The music/art Olympics got off to a start with an idea to bring our local community together this summer (on 4 July) felt like having an independence day this year, and as nowhere will declare peace, as a town, thought we might as well do it from Fun City.

The locality recently unveiled it’s arty, ecological and population involving Town Centre plans at The Albany. Then unveiled a connecting of education and creative industries at Goldsmiths. Then unveiled the results of a charette which will transform Creekside in The Laban. Quite possibly the most music, art, green, community positivity is worth celebrating. If you don’t live in Rocklands it doesn’t matter where in the world you are. The Artful Olympics are go.

and then...

A very special person called Stone called one day.

We started off talking about photography (his craft) and inspiring bands that with audience rapport and the tunes/performance to win it, can whip up the kind of reaction reserved for people in the press. He was so obviously a Playing Class Friend of Planet Water that we ended up going off on tangents, sixth sense and beyond. Stone rocks!

I don’t know much. I learnt that The Age of Aquarius began on 14th February. Another step towards Planet Water. We are mainly made of, can’t live without and can’t live in water. We are water. The Moon affects us all. Keith Moon was definitely there. I’m proud to be a little bit lunartic. It’s natural. People have laughed and said that “the dawning of the age of aquarius” celebrated in the sixties, was over.

There are others who know that the dawning of anything is not the end of it.

Talking of The Moon. I’m walking past New Cross Inn, having a look to see what has replaced our night, when I bump into somebody that’s definitely from there. Robert O and I literally BUMP into each other. And catch up. A few minutes later, he has created an event for charity there. It will be a party. Not only that but the fab artist, Anita McKeown joins the bumping into session. A few days later we are watching her People’s Cinema, projected onto the side of a van from the window of the Kate&Tristan shop next to the Inn. Partners of her Deptford 45s project are there from USA, Memphis 45s. There’s definitely an Elvis connection, and surreally a community of people from Deptford in Memphis too. Eh?

Anita and friends launched a new art space at the old Deptford Police Station (just down from New Cross rail station) on 28 February. Another playing class friend, Warren Morris, launched The Playground Magazine to accompany the club, on 28 February. Unplugged Sessions launched properly on 28 February (see the article on the following page). January and February end The Winter Season for Music Tourist Board. March and April herald Spring. March 3rd there’s a tribute to The Prisoner starting as a series of events at The Union Chapel in Islington.

This came from my friend Charlie (also related to Robert O, and aliens, come to think of it) via Facebook. I responded that i was attending and turned up as Guest No.6!

Following the recent death of Patrick McGoohan, Union Chapel pays tribute to this TV legend by screening 5 classic episodes of 'The Prisoner' over 5 nights.

The screenings will take place in the Union Chapel Bar in Islington, London, every Tuesday night in March, with the last episodes shown on the 31st March.

'The Prisoner' is a British 1960s television series starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan which combines spy fiction with elements of science fiction.

3rd March: Arrival10th March: The Chimes of Big Ben17th March: Free for all24th March: Hammer into Anvil31st March; Fall Out

There will also be a fun 'The Prisoner' trivia quiz after the screening and cult music from the same period. The bar will be open throughout the evening and food will also be available. £3 adv / £4 on the door. Doors: 7pm - Screenings: 8pm. For tickets and more information go to www.unionchapel.org.uk

I’m a big fan of The Prisoner. I’m going. And not only was there a song on the Mansun album Six called Fall Out, but The Village featured in the series is in Wales. Happy St David’s Day, be seeing you.

Mont@ly Planet. page lucky-t@irteen (6+7)

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The Unplugged Sessions.

In October 008, The Albany (Theatre, Community Centre and South East London’s biggest Arts Centre) started a something that has grown into a showcase of promising new talents performing in a laid back and unusual setting. The venue itself is situated right in the middle of Vega Fair (space port and magic market on Planet Water, a.k.a. Douglas Way, Deptford Market on Planet Earth). Tommy Mizen and Lewie Dyer kicked things off and the standards haven’t fallen.

Saturday afternoons have turned into a free entry talent fest for artists and shoppers alike. A laid back (but well lit and sound engineered) treat which has had a great response from those taking part, so far. From the end of February, it becomes a bi-weekly event after it was officially launched on Saturday 28th February.

...and what a legendary moment in the story of music that was. The line up kicked off with Battle Of The Band winners, Shiva (featured in last month’s issue) and Welsh song-smith, Jack Harris. The Albany Cafe was packed, with a couple of hundred people and standing room only, which gave an added edge to al the performances. Recommended by their previous performances, and invited to return, were the charismatic Jimmy & The Banned doing an acoustic set who raised the bar (and crowd reaction) with hooky rock. I like the way that Jimmy has been proactive in getting gigs, even met him backstage at a RAR! gig which put the band on the radar for a future show. Check out the band article further on in this issue.

The next act due on are equally determined, but sadly Shay (ex The Veez) and Rosie (collectively Myla) are stuck in horrendous traffic, crawling along. There’s a gap in the live show. A young man and his family enter the audience, it’s another Unplugged Session favourite, Ceri James, come to see the show. Before he has had time to finish his cup of coffee, he finds himself with a guitar shoved into his hand (massive thanks Jimmy) playing a set on stage. St David must have sent him to fly an extra flag for Wales a day early. Ceri goes down a storm. He is a star.

Myla arrive and after a hurried set up, are introduced as a cross between Emmy-Lou Harris and PJ Harvey. They don’t disappoint. There is something so beautiful and siren like about their songs. Another fab duo, Raglan, follow. They’re instant and pretty knock out. The event is headlined by Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze and becomes one of London town’s amazing moments in music. Each song greeted like a loved one. At one point, over a hundred people have followed Glenn, pied piper style, out of the venue into Vega Fairto sing and dance in the market. Wonderful, random, surreal and so Deptford Fun City. Just like The Unplugged Sessions. Hang out with musicians. Perform with great sound and lighting in a cool venue. Get in touch and get on board. myspace.com/thealbanydeptford

recession? you need some REBEL ROCK!

get some

on FRIDAY 6TH MARCH in LONDON

Take spanking (literally! ouch) brand new outfit,

The Unnamed Faces (pictured) who have managed to start making a name for themselves in a short time. As they told Monthly Planet; “We formed in late 2008 and are based in south london. All four of us (Jonathan Graham -Vox/Guitar, Kostas Alexakis - Lead Guitar, Sean Brydges - Bass, Adam Zebedee - Drums) are big on playing live and are very influenced by classic rock bands (get up and play fucking loud!) style.

We began playing the South London jamming circut to cut our teeth with the old boys first. From the responses to our set, we got offered a few gigs and its just gone from there.

We are still tuning our sound. We have strong elements of grunge and hard rock, but also some softer dark ballads.”.

As Jamm is, along with The Windmill and The Academy, one of the main South London venues, they’re off to a strong start at somewhere to make an impression.

Rock till you drop the first weekend of March, as South London plays host to a menagerie of guitar noise, energy and attitude overload on one (bargain of a) bill for a propah rocking, rolling punky Friday night out....

The venue is popular with various band member/media etc types (andentry to this show includes the club after the live sets. Jamm often hosts the after-after-party for artists playing at The Academy just along the road, so it’s no surprise to find out that this evening’s til-the-early-hours bash is for The Ting Tings.

MONTHLY PLANET - PAGE 16

The Drone Rebelsalready lined up forsome cool festivals- get close while you can.

A Fat-Cat free DIY release in the pipeline, rebel scum merchandise and a cool on and off stage reputation -

Mikey - Vocals; Simon - Lead; Mike - Bass; Pedro - Drums; and Drew - Guitar

have influences that range from Lee Scratch Perry to Tom Waites, Nina Simone to Captain Beefheart, RATM to Cold Cut and everything between and outside of that.

If it ROCKS.

A band not up their own arse, who actually like people to get involved with and meet them. These people are here to enjoy and be enjoyed.

Headliners, Officer Kicks, are earning a reputation as a classic british rock outfit with a treasury of hooky anthems and a live set that’s swelling the seeds of a fervent following.

Their debut album, The Six Grand Plot, did them loads of favours, press and radio, big support slots, festival sets and international interest. Music fans have been discovering a favourite new band. This band enjoy making friends. Like Captain Kicks (pictured) who has the sleeve of The Six Grand Plot immortalised on his back.

Jamie Fisher (guitar), Michael Skorjanec (bass), Keith Wickham (drums) and their front man with front, Jamie Scallion, have just completed the follow up for 2009. It’s a huge step on. This album is Citywide Curfew. Initial reactions from peers and industry in the know is excited. Come on board. It’s a Friday night and this band want to show you a good time!

Friday 6th March, Absent Kelly presents a Rebel Rock / New Wave and punky bill, 7pm to the early hours / Dress Code: "As if!" - Only £5 / £4 NUS (includes free entry to club after

the bands play) @ Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, London. SW9 6LH Tel: 020 7274 5537

www.brixtonjamm.org Tube: Brixton/Oval - Buses: 133,333, 159,59

myspace.com... /officerkicks + /thedronerebels + /theunnamedfaces +

/burnthewitchrock + /electricriver come early. miss nothing!

MONTHLY PLANET - PAGE 17

Meet a band in the newborn period, introducing themselves to the world the way bands often do. Picture The Beatles and the Stones still in suit and tie, sunshiningly smiling as they churn out Chuck Berry covers, or Dave Grohl in the hardcore days before the Nirvana and Foo Fighters. That embryonic, slightly awkward stage when enthusiasm oozes effortlessly out of fresh faces and high-energy rock music, where conversation is all about how they’ll never sell out and how they’ll play all the big festivals and… nuclear fusion!

Meet Jimmy and The Banned

The word play is indeed reflective of their collective brainpower. Front man singer/guitarist Jimmy has a degree in French and English. Bassist, Nick’s trademark dreadlocks hide an engineer’s brain, and Ian the drummer is soon to be Dr Ian. Of quantum physics, no less.

Despite all this, they fervishly dream of conquering the world of rock‘n’roll just like any other angry young band.

Jimmy himself got so enraged with the rat race two years ago that he quit his well-paid, office based career with no other job prospects lined up. He “slaved for other people” through session work (“most of which was for free”) with the spectre of opportunity always dangling before him.

At night, he hit the London singer-songwriter open mic trail but it left him more demoralised than ever - “those people don’t come to listen to music”.

Music if full of magic though. And one night a last minute Foo Fighters ticket was thrown Jimmy’s way. “I realised I just wanna rock.”

And ROCK, Jimmy And The Banned considerably do!

The live experience is full on. Ian notoriously breaks at least one thing during each show - at the last gig at Camden’s Purple Turtle, bits of his new ‘indestructible’ drumsticks flew hard straight into a (luckily sympathetic) audience member’s neck. This is probably just slightly more dangerous than getting Nick’s crazy flying dreads lashed at you, or copping a sprinkle of sweat as Jimmy whips his head to the beats. But you can forgive this as you get caught up in the infectious rock riffage that insists you put down your pint and join the party.

MONTHLY PLANET

MONTHLY PLANET - PAGE 18

Jimmy And The Banned have been described as having "excellent lyrical, well crafted songs with edge".

They’ve raced through a raft of early gigs, played the stage alongside McFly and Kelly Rowland at a Trafalgar Square event, and recorded a 5 track EP at the legendary Britannia Row studio.

They’ve already attracted fans and supported Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook at the launch of The Unplugged Sessions. (see the report elsewhere in this issue).

Not bad for a five month-old band.

What’s their secret? “It’s not just about trying to be the best”, asserts Nick, “it’s about putting on a good show”.

Nicola Marven.

left to right; Ian, Jimmy, Nick photographed by Kien Lim

Jimmy and The Banned’s debut EP ‘Exquisite Content’, is scheduled for release in Spring. Get in touch with them to request an MP3 by email, find out when the next gigs are, and get on board.

www.myspace.com/jimmyandthebanned

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