This month we face the The St Pierre Snake Invasion, Pinky Pinky (pictured), Daddy Long Legs, Dommengang, Emerson Snowe and Spinn.
The St Pierre Snake Invasion
Bristol’s masters of raw punk rage
Bristol’s punk five-piece The St Pierre Snake Invasion tread a tightrope between control and chaos. Theirs is an enthralling brand of fleet-fingered noise- making that’s bottled, shaken and unleashed, cork-popped in carnal rage, at given grievances, whether that be the political climate, their surrounding reality, or failing that: themselves.
“From inside this band it feels like complete chaos,” says guitarist Patrick Daly. “I’m not sure how it looks from the outside. But this record feels like it has captured the band perfectly.”
The common quality in the players I like is the energy they all create and emit
This record is second album Caprice Enchanté, produced by Sean Genockey: a whirling dervish of skin-piercing drums, taut vocals and HGV bass. The guitars are thick slabs of concrete distortion that shatter into shards, as if dropped from great heights. Both Patrick and co-guitarist, Szack Notaro, cite the likes of heavy noise-tinkerers Tom Morello, Wes Borland and Jim Root, as influences.
“I guess the common quality in the players I like is the energy they all create and emit,” explains Szack. “Which in a live situation is what you want to see. Being able to do all that while playing with precision is inspiring.”
“I think it’s generally people not trying to be anything other than what they are,” adds Patrick. You can hear a dishonest musician in the way they bend...‘crack’!”
Both guitarists are chasing something higher in purpose than the average noise- maker, though.
“It’s about playing something that doesn’t make me roll my eyes or laugh when I play it,” says Patrick. “Where you write something and you go, ‘What was that?’ and there’s a tiniest fraction of a second where you ask yourself, ‘Did I just write the greatest riff unknown to man?’ I haven’t of course, but it’s all about that fraction of a second!”
- For fans of: Pulled Apart By Horses
- Gear: Patrick - ESP Pr-1, Marshall JCM800. Szack - Ltd Ec-1000 SD, Marshall DSL 100, Carl Martin Plexi Tone
Pinky Pinky
The power trio tinting Tinseltown
Isabelle Fields, guitarist with LA’s trio Pinky Pinky, likes “no nonsense rock”.
“Rory Gallagher is probably my favourite guitarist,” she tells us. “I really admire how he played the same guitar with virtually no pedals throughout his entire career.” Her own setup - a 1961 Les Paul Jr., Fender Hot Rod Deville with a Tube Screamer and Maestro MFZ fuzz - is similarly no nonsense, but Fields can do a lot with a little, channelling blues, punk and a psychedelic sideline into killer three-minute econo-jams. Her live approach is also defined by efficiency of movement - in that she stays rooted to the spot.
“I look kind of mad,” admits Isabelle. “People think it’s intentional but it’s not at all! I’m just really focused and kind of get stage fright. I’m working on it, though - I despise it when people take themselves too seriously!”
- For fans of: Ex Hex, Starcrawler
- Gear: 1961 Les Paul Jr, Fender Hot Rod Deville
Daddy Long Legs
Scorching Brooklyn blues rockers
Brooklyn’s Daddy Long Legs are masters of mojo. A little like Captain Beefheart leading The Black Keys, their third album Lowdown Ways wrangles Delta blues together with 60s rock’s raw power weirdos and delivers it with a Dr Feelgood face-punch.
“My approach is really just plug in and play,” says guitarist Murat Aktürk. “Put your heart and soul into it, and hold it all down. I’m a rhythm man and all players should never forget about that. Always keep a little swing in there!”
Swing is the key word - despite their classic influences, there’s a dust-free feel to the album. “We wanted this record to sound like a band that exists in 2019,” says Murat. “Ultimately, we’re a rock ’n’ roll band that lives on the road, spreading the gospel of timeless rhythm and blues music. This record is our testimony.”
- For fans of: The Jim Jones Revue
- Gear: Godin Kingpin, Fender Blues Deluxe
Dommengang
- Who: LA guitarist Dan “Sig” Wilson
- Sounds like: Grunged-up psych rock, with an exhilarating, elastic ebb and flow
- Gear: 2013 Gibson SG 50s special, 70s Fender Twin Reverb, DOD Analog Delay
- For fans of: White Denim, Dead Meadow
- Hear: Kudzu
Emerson Snowe
- Who: Brisbane artist Jarrod Mahon
- Sounds like: Mahon has bottled the bright colours and warmth of Brisbane’s sunshine, with a little melancholy, into a beverage called Indie Pop
- Gear: Nylon-string acoustic, Panasonic Cassette 221
- For fans of: D.D Dumbo
- Hear: Sunlight
Spinn
- Who: Liverpool guitarists Jonny Quinn and Andy Power
- Sounds like: towering dream-pop. The jangle is massive…
- Gear: Andy - Rickenbacker 330, Roland Jazz Chorus 40. Jonny - Fender Duo Sonic, Fender Twin Reverb.
- For fans of: Larkins, The Night Cafe
- Hear: Is There Something That I Missed?
